The Ghost of Yami Atem Returns
by Atem no koibito
Summary: After years in the afterlife, Yami just wants to see Yugi again. Breaking the rules he does just that, but it came with a devastating consequence. A great evil no one has ever heard of before has been released as the doors to Earth opened up, and now Yami has to find it before it consumes everything, even his Yugi, that is now in great danger. Sequel to the Ghost of Yami Atem. AU
1. Chapter 1

**Ahh! Th guilt was too much to bear! I had to. I just had to. I love you all and I don't want to make any one disappointed. And since I uploaded this, I'm going to say it now. I only have up to chapter four written, and it will take time to update since I have two more stories in process. Okay? Good? Reviews to make me happy? Great.**

 **Hey everyone! So here we are. The sequel to the ghost of Yami Atem. I do hope you all like this just as much as the first one. When I see that people are interested, it urges me to move forward. Especially with sequels because they aren't usually as popular as the first. Anyways, prove me wrong. xD**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem Returns

Chapter 1

* * *

Birds chirped as they flew across the crystal, blue sky so elegantly and gently as if one hard jostle would shatter them to pieces. The clouds were puffy and white, light shining everywhere even without a sun in sight. The realm glowed with joy, laughter, happiness, forever nourishing the worthy spirits that inhabited it.

Yami sighed, his eyes half-lidded as he looked at the serene scenery and the clear ocean with a calm look on his face. The purity of the realm forever put him at peace, but he couldn't help but feel like something was missing. Someone, was missing.

"Yami!"

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the call of his name. He looked up and smiled instantly when he saw the bouncing bundle of joy called his little brother running towards him head on, the towel he had wrapped around his shoulders flying upwards like a cape.

"Heba, slow down!" Yami yelled, laughing as he stood up from the railing made of marble that he now chose to just lean on. He opened his arms for his little brother to jump into.

"Yami! Yami, guess what!" Heba exclaimed excitedly, a huge smile on his face.

"Is it going to be why you're running around half-naked, soaked, and in your towel?" Yami asked with a playfully raised eyebrow.

Heba pouted, pushing his tanned hands against Yami's chest. "No!"

"Then what?"

"Guess!"

Yami wrinkled his nose, showing that he didn't want to guess. He didn't like guessing.

Heba wiped the pout off his face and grinned widely at Yami. He then wrapped his arms around Yami's neck and brought his mouth close to Yami's head to whisper into his ear…

"Your friends are coming!" he shouted instead, and in shock Yami dropped Heba who then fell on to the green grass. Oh no, he wasn't surprised because Heba yelled in his ears. It was what Heba _said_.

"Ow!" Yami heard Heba exclaim, but that was the least of his problems. The people Heba considered to be his friends were in fact the opposite. They were insane, crazy lunatics who until this day continued to baffle him because he had no idea as to how beings like them entered the afterlife.

"When?" Yami whispered fearfully as he stared off into space, the shock and disbelief still having an effect on him.

Heba just giggled and ran off without answering the question. Yami thought Heba was going to run home since he was half-dressed, but what he said afterwards threw that thought out of the window.

"Kura! Malik!"

Low chuckles followed and another squeal was heard. "Hey Kiddo! Long-time no see."

Yami mentally cried to himself from the thoughts of what was going to happen as soon as Heba left.

"Hey, Yami!"

"Heba, go home. Your towel is falling off and I'm pretty sure your mother is shouting for you."

"Ah okay," Heba replied to the one who spoke and ran off again, this time back home.

Yami braced himself as he heard the footsteps come closer. Every footstep he heard was just proof of his coming humiliation, anger, and torture. He jumped when two hands closed down on both his shoulders.

"Get away from me!" he screamed, knocking the hands away and scurrying far as possible from the two that stared at him with amused expressions.

"Aw, c'mon, Yami. Don't be like that." Yami's eyes went to the sandy blonde, tanned male that stood before him with lavender eyes and a smirk on his face.

"We were gone for a week and you don't even miss us."

"You got that right," Yami snapped towards the white-headed teen that spoke. Unlike Malik, Bakura had dark brown, almost red eyes with very pale skin.

"So, what have you been doing while we were gone?"

Yami looked towards Malik with a half pout and a half scowl on his face. It's not that he didn't like the two spirits before him. It was just that they were terribly annoying and the biggest troublemakers in realm, and that they preferred to spend all their time picking on him! The week that they had been gone was the most peace he had ever gotten. But now that they've returned, the afterlife was going to be hell. For him at least.

"It's none of your business," he snapped quickly.

Malik chuckled and Bakura grinned. Yami's eyes widened though. That was their signature look which meant that they knew something that would not please him one bit.

"Anyways... We spoke to your mother for a while before coming here," Bakura stated, the grin still on his face.

"She had a lot of interesting things to say," Malik continued.

"We heard a lot about the fun, cute time you had down on earth," Bakura said. "It was such an amusing tale that we just had to come to you so you could confirm it."

"What are you talking about?" Yami hissed, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing him squirm.

"You don't know?" Malik widened his eyes in surprise, but Yami saw through the fake expression easily. "I was betting Kura here that Yugi bawled his eyes out when you left him. I thought you two had such a strong relationship. Pity that you forgot." Malik was silent for a while before speaking again in the same teasing tone. "I guess Aria was just pulling our legs."

Yami paled, gulping as his eyes widened. This was so bad...

"Yeah, she had to be kidding. I mean, a ghost and a human being that close is unimaginable. Isn't it, Bakura?" Malik continued.

Bakura crossed his arms and looked at him with a grin. "Obviously, Malik. If that story was true, Yami would be known as the second friendliest ghost in the world alongside Casper!"

Yami mentally screamed in his head. He was doomed and he knew it. He shook his head, pitying himself for not reminding his mother to not spill his secret. It's been five years since he had arrived into the afterlife and he never told anyone what had transpired when he was a restless spirit. He had only told his mother and the Gods, and now that Bakura and Malik knew, it was officially the end of him. He didn't regret being friends with Yugi, it was just that now Bakura and Malik will never shut up about it. And he knows they know, because they were being very sarcastic and obvious about that fact.

"Alright, shut up about it now! It's true, I was friends with Yugi!" Yami exploded before sighing in defeat. An eyebrow twitched when he looked up to see Bakura and Malik's very fake, surprised expressions. He smacked himself. "Cut it out! I know you're messing with me," he growled out, arms crossed angrily as he stared at the two spirits who then burst out laughing.

"Haha! That is just too much!" Malik exclaimed, laughing as he wiped a tear from his eyes.

Bakura threw his head back and laughed, his pale face red with amusement. "A ghost! And a human! C'mon Yami, I thought you had bigger brains than that!"

Yami scowled. "I don't see anything wrong with it. We were all once human too. Actually, we still are. The only difference is that we're dead!"

"Yeah, but you were a ghost! You were a spirit down on earth. Didn't you freak people out?" Malik questioned, still chuckling.

"Yes I did! People were very afraid of me."

"And Yugi?" Bakura asked with a raised eyebrow.

Yami huffed, a pout on his lips as he looked away with his arms crossed. "Except for Yugi."

At that Bakura and Malik started to laugh again, Malik practically on the floor in hysterics. Yami couldn't help but scowl again. He knew it was pointless trying to explain it to them. They always made a joke out of everything.

"Seriously, Yami? A what? Seven year old kid wasn't afraid of you? Are you sure you scared those people instead of making them laugh?"

Yami clenched his fists, his face red out of embarrassment and anger. "He was eight, and yes, I did scare those people!"

"Then prove it," Malik stated firmly.

Yami looked up at them, surprise on his face. "Prove it?"

The two nodded their heads, completely serious.

"How am I supposed to prove it?"

"Duh, go down to earth," Malik said.

Yami sputtered. "Go down to earth? Do you even hear yourself right now? How am I supposed to do that?"

"Ask the Gods," Bakura replied.

Yami rolled his eyes. "Of course. Why didn't I think of that? Obviously they'll let me go down to earth and scare a few people just to prove a dumb fact," he replied sarcastically.

It was Bakura's turn to scowl. "I don't like your tone."

"I don't like your ideas!" Yami exclaimed.

"Hey, don't yell at Bakura!" Malik shouted.

"Shut up, Malik," Yami retorted.

Malik and Bakura growled, glaring at Yami. Seeing the anger on their faces, Yami sighed. They were just too much. "You know what? Forget you two. I'm going home."

"What? Finally figured out that you're a wimp?" Malik yelled when Yami turned his back.

Yami instantly stopped and turned to face them. "I'm not a wimp."

"Then go to the Gods and ask them to send you to earth to scare some people!" Bakura said, very loudly.

"They won't agree."

"Cut your excuses, Yami. Just do it," Malik dared.

Yami fought with himself. He shouldn't give in, but they were just so annoying! He took a deep breath. No, he had much more control than that to let them force him to do a stupid thing. He smiled and turned around to walk away. Yes, he can do the right thing. He then heard a scoff from behind him.

"Chicken."

At that Yami snapped and turned around to face them. "Fine! I'll go and ask them! Can you give it a rest now?" he exploded, face red as he glared at Bakura and Malik with a wild look. Bakura and Malik grinned.

"Yes! Let's go."

Yami watched as they took the lead towards the God's palace. He slapped his face. "I hate you guys," he muttered angrily to himself, trudging along behind them.

* * *

"Okay, here we are," Bakura declared, staring up at the tall, wooden, double doors before then that lead into the palace.

"Yeah, so get in and get out quickly!" Malik said, slapping Yami on the back and pushing him towards the door.

Yami growled. "Alright, alright. Stop pushing me," he yelled, but he was deftly ignored by the two.

Scowling, he pushed the doors open and stepped on to the blue, almost black tiles which blended together and sparkled on the floor. The walls was a lighter colour, but glittered all the same. In front of him stood a couple of steps which led up to a platform where three thrones sat. And in the thrones sat the three, very powerful Egyptian Gods named Osiris, Obelisk, and Ra in their human form.

They all wore a white coloured robe, their features wanting to make anyone fall to their knees. Osiris was the youngest, most knowledgeable, and the most relaxed of them all. He had red eyes, and black short hair which touched his eyebrows. Obelisk was the strongest of them all. With a muscled body he screamed strength, but he was skinny none the less. He had shoulder length, white hair with icy, blue eyes. And Ra, Ra was the most powerful. Sitting between the two with Osiris on his right and Obelisk on his left, his yellow eyes shone like stars. His golden, long hair framed is face beautifully, flowing down his back elegantly, tied into a pony tail.

Yami gulped, stepping forward into the silent room. Immense power could be felt radiating from the three Egyptian Gods. Even he was shaken by the strength, though he knew they would never hurt him.

"Yami Atem."

Yami jumped when he was called out, eyes quickly looking up to the Gods. He dropped to his knees instantly.

"Rise, child. What brings you here?" Osiris asked calmly, looking at him.

Yami got back on to his feet, gulping to contain his nerves from running off. Standing before them he spoke in a clear voice. "First of all, I was forced here-"

"What do you mean?" Obelisk's deep voice stopped Yami midway. Yami blinked, aware of Obelisk's sudden questions. The God would do that at times. Everyone was aware of his lack of patience. Yami took a breath and continued to speak.

"Malik and Bakura wants me to go back to earth and prove that I was a worthy ghost."

"What nonsense is this?" Ra exclaimed, his commanding voice echoing around the room.

Yami sighed, blinking slowly. "I understand. The request they made was stupid, but they refused to leave me alone until I at least spoke to you all about it."

Osiris grunted under his breath. "Malik and Bakura, huh? I heard that they were back in the area." He glanced at Yami. "So does that mean they found out about your encounter with Yugi?"

Yami nodded regretfully. "My mother told them about it. I'm sure it was probably because she forgot to keep it hidden from them."

Osiris nodded. "It's understandable. She, nor you, would have been able to keep it a secret for long."

"However, you do understand that we cannot allow you to go back to earth?" Obelisk stated, looking at Yami seriously.

"I know. I was expecting that a negative reply would be good enough for them to leave me alone," Yami explained.

Ra rubbed his temples in frustration. "They are currently outside, I presume?"

Yami nodded.

"Very well. Bring them in!" Ra instructed. With a mighty wind, the doors swung open causing Malik and Bakura to be pulled in by the strong wind.

"Hey!" Bakura exclaimed.

"What's going on?" Malik yelled.

The two looked up to see the three Egyptian Gods looking at them. Instantly they dropped to their knees to pay their respects.

"Rise," Ra ordered, and the two got back up to their feet.

"What is this I've heard? You two have dared Yami into going back to earth? For what appropriate reason made you suggest such a thing?" Ra asked, his voice serious enough that it made Bakura and Malik feel fearful.

The two shot Yami a quick death glare which Yami just ignored by looking the other way, shrugging his shoulders. They remained silent when it came to Ra's question.

"Our answer to your crazy dare is a no," Osiris declared. "I don't want you two to cause Yami more trouble. Understood?"

Malik and Bakura nodded. "Yes."

"Good. Now you three can leave," Ra said.

The three of them bowed once more before leaving quietly, but as soon as the door closed behind them, Malik and Bakura turned to Yami angrily.

"Hey! Before you start fighting with me, I just want to say that I did not tell them to call you in," Yami explained hastily, stepping away from Bakura and Malik just as they raised their fists.

"You're still going," Bakura stated.

Yami's eyes widened. "No way! They said no and I refuse to go against the God's orders."

"Stop being a wimp, Yami. All you have to do is scare one person. That will be enough to prove yourself," Malik spoke up.

"Or, if not, we'll never, ever, leave you alone," Bakura threatened.

Yami stuck to his decision, "No."

"No?"

"No!" Yami exploded.

"We'll kill you in your sleep," Bakura said.

"You can't do that," Yami shouted confidently.

"Then we'll tell everyone what went down on earth," Malik shot back.

At that, Yami's eyes widened. "You can't do that either."

"Don't test us," Bakura said, a smirk on his face.

Yami glared, disbelief on his face as he stared at the two of them. They had him in a corner. With the amused and smug expressions on their faces, Yami sighed in defeat. He knew that Bakura and Malik will stick to that vow of terrorizing him until he agreed. "Fine. I'll do it. Five minutes though."

Bakura and Malik grinned. "The time is all up to you."

Yami led them behind the palace, Bakura and Malik looking at the door that stood without walls. It was a very elegant, white door with a silver handle standing right in the middle of the garden. Not everyone had access to it, but since Yami was actually very close with Osiris, Osiris had given him a key and now he felt terrible for using it to go against his wishes.

"C'mon!" Bakura demanded, opening the door, and the three stepped in, closing the door behind them. What they stepped into though was a square room just large enough to fit the three of them. The walls of the room were shadows, and on the other three walls stood three doors, one door on each wall. They just left the door which led to heaven. To their left stood a black door with red veins throbbing on it which led to hell. On their right was an unmarked door, and the door in front of them was a simple, light blue colour. That door led to earth.

"Ready?" Malik asked.

Yami scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Ask yourself."

Malik scowled and looked away, watching as Bakura opened the door to earth.

"Wait. Make sure the doors are closed," Yami said.

"Don't worry, I closed it," Malik informed. "Stop being such a worrywart."

Yami scowled at him but turned around to make sure anyways. If a door was left opened, it would be easy for people to travel between doors. Anyone can open their door and step into this room, but doing so is pointless unless you have a key to open another one. However, if a door is left open, then that spirit can travel through the realms. So that was something they had to be extra careful about.

"Let's go!" Malik exclaimed, grabbing Yami's arm and throwing him through the door. "Next stop, Domino City!" And Yami watched as Malik jumped in himself after pulling the door in behind him.

However, Malik fell before he could properly check the door. Just a centimetre off from being closed, the door swung softly before going still, and open.

* * *

 **And there we have it! The first chapter completed! Hope you all liked it review please! And see you next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. Sorry that I couldn't thank you via private message though… I promise to do so this time around and hopefully the next. I've just been so out of it these days. :P Anyways, I've been super anxious after posting the first chapter and thought no one liked it, but I'm glad that things aren't so. Hope you all like this chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem Returns

Chapter 2

* * *

Sudden brightness caused Yami to snap his eyes closed, and when he slowly opened them once again, he had to blink to be able to see around himself. The sun was high in the sky, showering its sunlight down on to the city that hasn't changed much over the years he was away. Tall buildings, houses, shopping centers, and all the people who bustled about, desperately to get stuff done. Yami gave a relieved, warm smile as he looked around. Things remained just the way he left it, except for Yugi. The young boy he had left would be almost in his early teens by now. He would be thirteen years old now, but surely cute just the same. He couldn't wait to see him.

"Dang it! Malik, look that way! He should be around here somewhere," a familiar voice shouted, and recognising the tone, Yami looked behind him towards the sound of the voices only to have his face drop when he noticed the two spirits that were searching for him. They all must have gotten separated from the fall.

"Would you stop yelling at me? He's right over there," Yami watched Malik snap, and with an annoyed look the sandy blond teen pointed towards him.

Yami turned and faced them as they walked towards him, and as they walked, Yami took a look around. Everyone on the busy street seemed unfazed by their sudden appearance, and that was good because by the way Bakura and Malik were marching towards him with cars zooming right through them, people wouldn't be acting so calm with the way they were right now. If things remained the same, then only Yugi, Grandpa, and Kaiba would be able to see him.

"Now, prove it." Malik stood right in front of him now, leaning forward to intimidate him. Yami just rolled his eyes, looking towards the speeding cars.

"We can stand here all day, but in the end you have to prove that you were a worthy ghost," Bakura continued, crossing his arms.

Yami shook his head. "No." He watched as their eyes widened, surprised.

"What do you mean, no?" Bakura asked, stepping forward with a scowl on his face.

"No, I'm not going to scare anyone. I'm not stupid to give in to your teasing. I know that if I gave in or not, you morons would still irritate me for the rest of eternity. So no, I am not going to scare people just to prove something to you two."

His statement left Malik and Bakura with very confused expressions. Malik rose an eyebrow at Bakura who turned to give him an astonished, unsure look.

"Then why did you come here then? You do understand that you broke the rules," Bakura then asked, still quite confused.

"That is none of your business," Yami said, crossing his arms and wincing as a truck honked loudly and rumbled away from right beside him. Malik and Bakura grimaced also, Malik using his hands to block his ears as the truck drove loudly away. Taking one look at Yami, Malik mentally sighed having realised what Yami's true intentions were.

"You came to see Yugi, didn't you?" Malik stated knowingly, peeved that they had just been used.

"Of course," Yami replied. "I broke the rules for him, and used you to idiots as an excuse to come down here. I never would have done it on my own, but I just miss him too much." Malik and Bakura stared at Yami expressionless at what they have been told.

"You, used us, for your selfish desire?" Bakura said slowly, still having a hard time understanding Yami's out of character motive. "He used us!" he then yelled at Malik with his eyes wide as the thought sunk in. "What the hell?! How does that even work? He had a plan all along! What, what- how-"

"Bakura, calm down!" Malik shouted, smacking the panicked spirit out of his attack.

Yami sighed. "I'm sorry, alright, but like I said; I never would have broken the rules to come down and see him on my own. So I used you two and allowed you to bring me here." Slowly he looked up at the two in front of him to see their arms crossed, a defeated expression on their faces. They looked at each other, then looked at him.

"I'm telling the Gods."

"I guess I understand."

Bakura and Malik's heads snapped towards each other, both looking stunned at what the other said.

"You understand?!" Bakura screeched, dumbfounded.

"You want to tell the Gods?!" Malik exclaimed. "We'll get in trouble also!"

"Yeah, but, **you understand**?!" Bakura repeated, stressing on the last two words.

"Kind of!" Malik yelled back.

"Would you two stop?" Yami shouted. "I don't care whether you understand, or want to tell the Gods. I just want to see Yugi!"

"I'm still telling the Gods," Bakura insisted, looking at Malik.

"Shut up!" Malik yelled, and he raised his fists once more.

Yami rolled his eyes and with a shake of his head, he turned and walked away towards the home he had been bounded to for many years. Now looking around, Yami stopped and stared around himself. Where to go? He had no idea how to get home.

"Yami, wait!" Looking back, he saw Malik rushing towards him. "Do you have any idea where you're going?"

"I'll figure it out," Yami said, looking around himself once again. He heard Malik sigh.

"We won't tell."

"Why thanks," Yami responded sarcastically with a scoff.

Malik frowned, blocking his path. "I'm serious. I meant what I said. I guess I can understand why you did what you did."

"No, really, thanks. Your concern and understanding means a lot to me," Yami continued to say, sarcasm etched in his flat tone.

"Would you stop that?"

Yami pushed Malik out of his way. "No."

"Hey, when I finally moved on, I left loved ones here too. It's terrible and even I've tried to sneak out to see them. I got caught, but got away with a warning from the Gods. It was only then did I realise I would have never found them because they were in heaven looking for me," Malik tried to explain.

"Yugi isn't dead," Yami growled out, angered.

"I'm not saying that he is, but it would be better to wait. You will meet again."

"Malik, let him do what he wants," Bakura said from behind. "We're already here, so what's the point?"

Malik sighed. "I know, but still. He likes jumping to conclusions about everything!" Not listening to Malik, Yami took off running as he recognised the school that Yugi used to go to everyday. Thankfully the school was exactly the same.

"Yami!"

"That moron…"

Rushing towards the school, Yami grinned when he spotted some familiar buildings that would lead him towards the mansion. He could hear the running footsteps of Malik and Bakura who were following him, but he refused to wait or stop when guilt twisted in his stomach. He wronged them, and now he was showing them anger. It wasn't right since it was supposed to be the other way around, but his defenses went right up as soon as they started to question him about coming down to earth. He had his reasons, and many conflicted emotions about right and wrong, and in the end he thought that they just couldn't understand. Maybe this was how they felt when they are constantly criticized by him and everyone else for doing stupid things. They were just going after what they had in their hearts. Perhaps that was why they entered heaven. They were forgiven.

Turning the corner, Yami could spot the little street that led down to the mansion. This area was still the same, slightly deserted because of all the rumours he caused when he haunted the house. It seems the stories hadn't died out when he moved on to the afterlife. Oh well, at least he would be able to see Yugi once more, alive.

Yami's breath stilled as he looked at the house he had known all his life. It remained exactly the same. Green grass coloured the grown that used to be dead, though now it looked dried. It probably hadn't rained ever since spring had started. The trees were in its early stages, and the soft breeze in the air warmed him up with joy.

He grinned, running up to the house as he made himself visible so that Yugi and his Grandpa would be able to see him, however, his smile immediately dropped from his face as he looked down towards the door.

A lock kept the house closed, and listening closely, Yami didn't hear a single sound. Worry consumed him as he remained frozen at the door.

"Dang, you lived here?" he heard Bakura ask behind him. Yami was unable to reply. Maybe Yugi and Grandpa had gone on vacation. It was probably spring break by now. They had gone out, yes, that's why no one was home and the door was locked.

"Yami, what's wrong?" he heard Malik ask, walking beside him.

"It's locked," Yami whispered.

"So? Just go through it," Malik stated, and to prove his statement, he disappeared through the walls with Bakura following suite. Seeing that he still hadn't moved, Malik grabbed him and pulled him through the door.

Inside, the two gasped as they looked around at the huge interior. Yami remained silent, stiffening as he glanced around the barren place. It was absolutely empty. The furniture was all gone, and looking closely Yami saw the heavy amount of dust that had gathered around the place.

"Malik, can you feel it?" he heard Bakura whisper. "Someone died here."

From the corner of his eyes Yami watched as Bakura moved around the base of the house. It was something that spirits can sense. If someone had died, the place they had died would act like a beacon. It was how angels in the afterlife found spirits on earth. Fear consumed him as Bakura walked into the kitchen. He hoped no one other than him died in the house. If something like that happened, he wouldn't know what to do. He watched uneasily as Bakura and Malik walked around, and gave a sigh of relief when Bakura knelt down at the base of the stairs. No one else other than him died in the house. Good.

"Here," the white-haired spirit said enthusiastically.

"Who died?" Malik asked curiously.

"I did," Yami stated indifferently as he walked up the stairs. He missed the shocked expressions of the two who immediately backed away from the spot. He never did tell them how he died, and they didn't tell him how they passed either. No one really needed to know, and it wasn't as if they swapped tragedies with each other in the afterlife anyways.

Looking around, Yami found that even the top floor was deserted. Checking Yugi's bedroom, he wasn't surprised to find it absolutely empty. He sighed sadly. Where could they have possibly gone?

"So, uh, where is this kid you wanted to meet?" Bakura asked nervously, appearing before him.

Yami remained silent.

"The house is empty. You think they moved?" Malik wondered out loud.

"No, they wouldn't have left. They had no reason to do such a thing," Yami assured, though it felt as if he was just assuring himself. They were the only people he had ever allowed to stay in his home. They wouldn't have deserted his last memories of life on earth just like that. Something happened. But, it still hurt him to know that his home that he cherished was left like this.

"Then, where are they?" Malik asked.

Yami frowned, thinking of the same question. Where were they? They must have gone somewhere, and getting to that place is no problem. It's just the location that they needed. If only he knew someone who knew them then he could just ask… Seto!

"I know where I could find him," Yami said, turning towards the two who waited behind him. "I have my brother who lives in the city. Surely he kept in contact with them. I can just ask him."

"Do you know where he is?" Malik asked.

"Yes. When I was alive he always told me that he was going to open up a huge gaming company." Yami smiled a bit, remembering his earlier childhood he had lived. "When I saw him, I was sure he had accomplished just that. Besides, from the news Yugi would tell me when I was here, I heard he planned on opening his main headquarters in Domino City."

"Then let's find him," Bakura snapped, walking out of the mansion.

"Any idea where he might be?" Malik asked, walking with Yami as they followed Bakura out.

Yami shook his head. "Not a clue."

"Is it that?" The two looked up at Bakura and then up to where the spirit was pointing with his thumb.

High above the other buildings that stood in Domino, there was one that was the biggest of them all. It towered proudly among the city, glistening as the sun reflected off of the many windows that styled the structure. Yami shook his head at the building as he noticed the two letters that were slightly merged together to form the company logo: K.C.

"Maybe, but I can't be sure," Yami said. "We'll have to check it out." Without standing around any longer, the three quickly left the house and went towards the attention-seeking structure.

Heading straight on to the main road, they kept their eyes on the building and just flew towards it. They were spirits, so to be frank, they didn't need to follow the rules of the road. Just a while later they found themselves stepping through the glass doors of the building to see the people inside moving around quickly while some stayed seated, waiting for something or someone.

"How do we find him? This place is bigger than the buildings I've seen. How is it that it's not falling over?" Bakura asked in wonder.

"People have gotten smarter over the years, Fluffy. Remember, it's many years after your time," Malik said in a somewhat teasing tone.

"Don't call me that!" Bakura snapped, "And stop acting as if I'm from the medieval times. I've only been dead for thirty seven years," he grumbled.

Malik snickered and Yami rolled his eyes at their bickering. Bakura and Malik had known each other for many years before he had arrived. Sometimes when they hung around him, he had no idea what they would talk about. He didn't ask, and they never explained. It's not like he wanted to know more about them. Not at all.

"Kaiba Corporation, how may I help you?"

Yami looked up as he heard the familiar last name. They were at the right place! Yami grinned, rushing up to the lady who was seated in a desk at the side, a phone at her ear.

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Kaiba isn't taking any calls at the moment- yes, I understand, but- no sir, please sir, I will try to-" Yami watched the woman as she began to get discouraged from trying to help the man. She looked very fatigued, clenching her white, long hair from frustration as she leaned on the table. Whoever she was talking to was yelling since it could be heard through the phone, and it was clear that she was getting upset. Her blue eyes widened as she kept listening to the man, refusing to just slam the phone down and end the call because it was her job and she had to stick through it. Unable to watch her struggle any longer though, Yami took the phone and slammed it down for her. After it was over and Yami looked at the woman, only then did he realise what he had just done.

"Ghooooost!" the woman shrieked, jumping out of her chair and backing into the wall. Yami jumped back also, watching as the people in the lobby stand up from fear.

"Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to-" Yami began, only to have the woman shut her ears with her hands and run off towards the elevator having heard his voice coming from seemingly no one.

"What did you do?" Malik asked, watching as a few people ran out the building while Bakura scared them further by opening and closing the door as they left.

"I was just trying to help!" he exclaimed, watching as the woman stepped into the elevator.

"C'mon, follow her! Maybe she'll take us to your brother," Bakura yelled, grabbing the two of them and slipping into the elevator just before it closed.

* * *

"Seto! S-Seto, g-ghosts!"

Kaiba instantly stopped his typing as he watched his secretary, and wife, run into his office. He sighed as he looked at her fear stricken face, but wasn't too worried about what she had said. Everyone screamed "ghost" every now and then, but his wife? At least once every week. She had developed a strange phobia of some sort even though he had told her about his brother, Yami, who had died nine years ago. She still didn't believe him, thinking it was just an excuse so that she couldn't meet his side of the family.

"Kisara, what did you see now?" he asked as he went back to his typing.

"Seto, I'm not mistaken this time," she exclaimed, standing at his side and holding on to his shoulder.

"Kisara, I have work to do. If you're tired and beginning to see things, go home and rest," he suggested.

"It grabbed the phone from my hand and ended the call!" she tried to explain hysterically.

Kaiba shook his head. "I think you should go home. You've been working a lot these days even though I tell you that it's not necessary. You hardly spend time with Mokuba, so as a mother I think you should take a break and spend some time with our son."

"But, Seto-"

"No 'buts'," Kaiba warned. He could see that Kisara opened her mouth to protest again, only to notice that she went rigid when cold air enveloped the room. He felt Kisara clutch him tightly, looking around the room with fear, and from the familiar cold he had felt five years ago, his hands stilled as well.

"Yami?" he called out, standing as he pushed his chair back and moved from behind his desk. Kisara, still clutching him tightly, pressed herself against him from fear.

"Seto, who are you talking to? Who's Yami?" she asked.

Ignoring his wife, Kaiba looked around and called his brother's name once more. "Yami?"

Before his eyes, a figure began to come into focus. He grinned, noticing the tanned skin, the tri-coloured hair, and the purple eyes immediately. Not concentrating on anything else, he broke away from his wife as a smile appeared on his face, rushing forward to grab his brother in a hug.

"Seto!" Yami exclaimed with a wide smile.

"Yami, you're back!" he cried happily, hugging the cold spirit of his cousin tightly. He felt Yami nod against his neck. "You haven't changed a bit."

Yami shook his head, laughing a bit to himself. "Due to obvious reasons."

Kaiba chuckled, turning around when he looked at his fear-stricken wife.

"Seto, what's going on?" she asked, stepping back towards the wall slowly. He laughed.

"Yami, would you ease my crazy wife's soul?"

"You got married? Why wasn't I invited?" Yami teased, making himself appear for the woman backed up against the wall.

"Due to obvious reasons," Kaiba said, throwing his brother's words right back at him. He heard Kisara let out a shocked scream as she saw Yami become visible.

"S-Seto!"

"Yes, this is Yami. Now do you believe me?" Kaiba instead said, smirking as he looked back to see Kisara rush towards him.

"He-He's a ghost," she stammered, hiding behind him

"I know."

He watched as Yami smiled nervously, giving a small wave. "I'm sorry for scaring you earlier," he said.

Kisara just jumped as he spoke before calming herself. "It-It's okay."

"I saw that you were fatigued, and that man on the phone was being stubborn, so, I wanted to help," Yami explained, eyes wide with guilt, and Kaiba rose his brow at what Yami said. So, Kisara wasn't overreacting after all.

Kisara remained silent for a while before speaking. "So, he really is your step-brother?"

Kaiba nodded. "He's actually my age."

Still hiding behind him, Kisara looked at Yami wearily, still not believing her eyes and hoping she had just fallen asleep on the job. "He doesn't look twenty five."

"Ah, I don't age any more. I'm dead, so…" Yami trailed off, looking to the ground. "I'm sixteen, for the rest of eternity."

"Oh, okay," Kisara said.

"So, Yami, even though I'm glad that you're here, why are you back?" Kaiba asked, looking at Yami expectantly.

He saw a frown appear on Yami's face. Kaiba's face fell also, and he was just about to ask what was wrong when Yami beat him to it.

"Where is Yugi, and Grandpa?" he asked softly, almost a whisper.

At the question, Kaiba gulped nervously as he watched distress appear on Yami's face. How could he tell him? How? It was now obvious why Yami returned to earth, even though it was probably just a visit. But he couldn't tell him. He couldn't. Yami would be heartbroken to know that the person he considered family, was gone.

"Seto, where are they?" Yami whimpered, close to tears. From the corner of his eyes he saw two more people appear and heard Kisara yelp backwards in shock, but he didn't care about that right now. He gulped, knowing Yami deserved to know.

"Seto-"

"He's dead."

* * *

 **Haha! Cliff-hanger! How'd you like that? Not so much? Eh, what can I do? I did say I was making this story interesting. The humour and emotions will be high. Hopefully I'll make some of you cry. But, maybe not. There's no tear-jerking scenes.**

 **Anyways, how do you like Kaiba's scene? Adding Kisara in here was totally last minute, and Mokuba was also last minute! I think it's cute though. Blueshipping/Mizushipping is the only non-yaoi pairing I'm a fan of. Tell me what you think and I'll update again soon.**

 **Review. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! Yes, I am not dead. I'm still alive and kicking, so I have to apologise for being away for THREE WEEKS! Oh my gosh… Such a long time… I haven't touched fanfiction at all because school was opening, I was tired as hell because my sleeping schedule got messed up… ugh. Terrible. I' forcing myself to snap out of lazy and put this up. I think now I'm also getting sick, so –fingers crosses- I hope that I don't fall ill. Anyways…**

 **Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, and I'm so sorry that I wasn't able to personally thank you for all your love and support like I said I would do last chapter. And since I wasn't able to PM you all for the past two chapters, I'll just do this.**

 **Big THANK YOU to…** _ **Les (guest), Myfanfix, Dina (guest), Crissy (guest), Shrangorku (guest), KuramaThe9Tails, piccolaanime1, cd (guest), yuigohgirl (guest), Bright-down, MissBrains101, Zekeram12, LadyUmbre, SkyNakama27, GirlFish.**_ **Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Hopefully I get back to messaging my reviewers personally. :) And I know, some of you are dying to see an update for Secrets Underground. Don't worry, I'm hoping to get that up by the end of this weekend.**

 **Oh, and in this fanfic, Marik and his darker half is separate, so I will refer to the light half as "Marik", and the dark half as "Malik".**

 **Sorry for the cliffy last chapter. :P I'll ease your minds and let you continue!**

 **Please enjoy.**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem Returns

Chapter 3

* * *

"Seto-"

"He's dead."

Yami froze. He could feel his heart drop down into his stomach by the words that came out of Seto's mouth, and immediately he could feel his entire body trembling. Looking up into his brother's eyes, Yami saw the blue irises gazing at the floor with despair, and with dread rising up in him Yami took a step back in disbelief.

"No…" he muttered shakily, his watery eyes locked on Seto's face. "That can't be…" and he watched with even more pain as Seto walked up to him and put his hands on his shoulders.

"Yugi's grandfather passed away two years ago."

At that, Yami's legs almost gave away underneath him from shock, but Seto held him up. Grandpa, was gone? His insides twisted painfully, and unable to look away from the blue carpet on the ground he just closed his eyes, tears managing to slip away.

"How?" he croaked.

"He had a sudden heart attack when Yugi was in school. Luckily he had a friend over during the time and he was taken to hospital. Unfortunately, he passed away just a few minutes later after arriving at the hospital."

Finding it hard to breathe as Seto explained, Yami just took a deep breath and sniffed before looking up. Somehow he had to find some strength to keep himself under control and not break down. Hearing about Grandpa's passing was the last thing he expected when he returned to earth. Although, if Grandpa did pass away, how could he have not known? He was in the afterlife all that time. Surely, surely somehow they would have met each other. Then, how? How did he not know that Grandpa had died even though he was there?

"Don't break your head over it, Yami." Hearing Bakura's voice, Yami looked up to stare at him with confusion. Bakura was looking at him with his arms crossed, a serious expression on his face. "The afterlife is a huge place. People usually don't meet so easily when they enter the realm. It takes a lot of looking for loved ones to find each other."

Yami dropped his head to stare at the floor. If that was true, Osiris would have at least told him that his Grandfather had entered the afterlife. That way he would have known that Grandpa was somewhere in the spirit world and he would have set out to find him. Then…

"There's that assumption, but it can also be that the old man 'didn't' enter the afterlife-"

"Watch your tongue, Malik!" Yami hissed after hearing the comment, and he turned to glare at the bleach blond spirit. Malik's eyes widened with surprise. "Grandpa isn't a wandering spirit, alright?" Yami continued. "He's in the afterlife, happy. So don't say such things again. If you have nothing good to say, don't say anything at all." And at the harsh tone, Yami looked on as Malik clenched his hands into fists and scowled right back at him.

"Yeah, you just can't consider all the possibilities, huh?" Malik shot, and as soon as Yami took a step forward, Yami saw Seto plant himself between the two.

"Okay, would you two cut it out," Seto shouted, and Yami looked up at him with a hardened gaze, the frown evident on his face. "Whatever it may be, you can't do anything about it, alright? So just stop it, now," Seto ordered, and having no other choice, Yami stepped back and crossed his arms, Malik eventually doing the same.

Grandpa was not a wandering spirit. He couldn't be. And for what reason would he even be one? The man had lived a wonderful life with his grandson, Yugi. He would be greatly missed, but… No buts. He was at peace and happy. He would be there, watching over Yugi. And Yugi? Yugi was probably so heartbroken.

"Then, where's Yugi?" Yami whispered, realisation dawning on him, and he looked up at his brother with worried and hopeful eyes. "I went to the house, but I found it locked, and empty." Confusion crossed his face when Seto broke out into a smile.

"Since Yugi is still very much underage to be living alone, I took him in," the CEO explained, but Yami rose an eyebrow, still unable to understand what his brother meant by that. No doubt seeing the confusion on his face, Seto chuckled before clarifying even further. "He's living with me."

Yami grinned. "Really?" he exclaimed.

"Yes. Ever since you had left, I paid a visit to their home quite often. It didn't take long for them to warm up to me showing up every now and then. They've grown to be a part of my family, so when Solomon passed, I made Yugi stay with me where I could take care of him."

"I see," Yami nodded softly, only to suddenly have his smile replaced by a frown. He bit his lip, the nagging feeling of his empty home still haunting his mind. Probably knowing exactly what he was thinking, he felt Seto touch his shoulder. Turning towards him, he saw his brother get down to his level to look his square in the eye.

"Don't worry, Yami," Seto began. "No one other than Yugi will live in that house. That is why I've bolted it up and left it there. Yugi will go back to it once he becomes old enough to live on his own, okay?"

Yami dropped his former expression and beamed, knowing that his family's treasure wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. As long as Yugi would have it. It was all he needed to hear for his excitement to resurface.

"So, how's Yugi?" he then asked.

Kaiba grinned. "He's fine. He's at home right now with my son, Mokuba. Instead of asking me, why don't you go see him?"

Yami pouted. "I don't know where you live!"

Kaiba sighed, shaking his head to himself. "Okay, okay. We'll go home together, alright?"

"Ah, Seto?" Yami watched as Kaiba rolled his eyes teasingly before turning towards the woman still cowering behind him.

"Yes?" he asked teasingly.

"How are we- I mean, uh…" she trailed off, switching back and forth between Yami and Kaiba, before her eyes fell upon the other two spirits.

Yami watched Kaiba who looked at the two spirits that seemed a bit interested, or concerned towards what was going on. Bakura and Malik were beside him, and by the small glances Kaiba was giving them Yami was forced to introduce them.

"Don't worry about these two," he said, indicating towards the two spirits. "They're very annoying at times, but I'm sure they don't mean harm."

"I'm Bakura," Bakura then spoke up, irritated. "C'mon, Yami. Don't you know how to give proper introductions?"

"And I'm Malik," Malik said next.

Kisara smiled, though she was still afraid.

"You two look great together," Yami said out loud, and he watched with glee as Kisara yelped at the complement while Kaiba went red. They were complete opposites in personality, so it felt a bit great seeing them so happy. It created a kind of balance. A little sense for Kisara, and some joy for Seto.

"How'd it happen?"

"Ugh, romance," Bakura muttered, and Kaiba just made his way towards the door before explaining.

"It's a long story, one I think we should talk about when we get home. As for now, all you need to know is that it was because of you."

Yami's eyes widened, not expecting that answer. "Me? How?"

"Stupid, didn't the man say he was going to talk about it at home?" Malik shouted.

"Pay attention, idiot," Bakura added.

Yami glared at the as Kaiba held the door open for them. "You two, shut up," he shot, and Bakura and Malik just grinned in response, the fight that they had seemingly gone from their minds. It was like that between them. No matter how much times they fight, they would always forget about it seconds later.

"Should I call Yugi and let him know," Kisara began, only to be cut off.

"No!" Yami exclaimed, turning towards Kisara who jumped. "I want it to be a surprise." Hesitant, the white haired woman just nodded and closely followed Kaiba as he walked and closed the door as they left.

"My limo is parked in the garage, so we'll be going to the basement," Kaiba said as the elevator door opened and they all stepped in.

"Has he grown?" Yami asked, looking up at Kaiba. He tried to not ask any more questions, but he really needed to know. After five years he was going to see Yugi. He just couldn't wait any longer.

"Yes, he has," Kaiba said. Yami was about to open his mouth once more when Kaiba shot him a look which made him hut his mouth.

"No more questions."

Yami pouted. "Fine."

* * *

It wasn't long after they had entered the car that they soon pulled up to a bigger, and much fancier mansion. Yami stared up at it in awe while Bakura and Malik did not hesitate to run in and then out once more, exploring the entire mansion.

"You live here?" Yami asked, staring up at the structure that stood before him as elegantly as a building could possibly look. The building was white, rimmed with icy blue and dark wood for the big door that they came upon. The lawn was as green as grass could possibly be and even more. There was a gazebo spotted in the huge backyard and there were two, gorgeous, bird baths in the front lawn. Both were an ivory colour, the sun reflecting off of their smooth surfaces.

"Wow," Yami said again as he followed Kaiba into the house.

"Ready?" Kaiba asked, and Yami nodded excitedly as Kaiba shoved the key into the keyhole and turned. Finally, he would be able to see his little Yugi all grown up.

"Yugi!" Kaiba called as he stepped into the house with Yami and Kisara behind him. "There's someone here to see you!"

"Seto! Catch him!"

"Daddy!"

They were all shoved into a corner as a little toddler waddled by as fast as he could while another boy ran tiredly behind the fast child, completely out of breath. Yami's eyes widened as he saw Yugi run into the living room and then around the long table that was to the left. He smiled, seeing how Yugi had changed. The boy had definitely grown taller. His face had lost the look of his childhood, only to receive the much more grown up side of it. His eyes still held its brightness, though a bit dull due to all the tragedies he had gone through to get the happiness he had today.

Yami giggled as Kaiba ran in to stop the chase that the raven haired baby was winning at, only to get trampled. Kisara didn't hesitate to run in also, but she too was unable to move because of how fast the kid was running around.

"Yugi!" Yami finally shouted, still standing by the door.

Yugi didn't stop. "Not now, Yami! I have to catch this little rugrat even if it's the last thing I do!"

Yami watched, shaking his head as Yugi finally captured the runaway child and held him tightly in his arms as Kisara scooped the baby up. Yami stood there, smirking as Yugi then froze, realizing who he had just spoken to.

"Yami?" Yami nodded as Yugi turned around to look at him, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Who else?" Yami asked teasingly.

Yugi still couldn't move from where he stood. Yami watched with utmost joy as Yugi's eyes welled up with tears. Walking towards the young child, Yami didn't have to get far when Yugi ran into his arms and grabbed him into a hug.

"Yami! Yami, it's really you!" he cried, hugging tightly.

Yami returned the hug with the same enthusiasm as he felt Yugi bury his face into his neck. "Yes, Yugi. It's really me."

Yugi gasped, touching Yami's cold face as if remembering all the years he had spent with him, and all the time he had spent missing him as well. With watery eyes Yami watched as Yugi looked at him, smiling. "I just can't believe it. How? How did you get here? I mean… I thought-"

Yami chuckled a bit before hugging Yugi once more. "It's a long story, but now, tell me how you're holding up." Yami's eyes then softened, looking at Yugi whose own irises had fallen to look at the ground. "I know about Grandpa…" he began, and his heart twisted when he saw Yugi look up, trying to blink back the tears of the new memory, but failed.

"I'm so sorry, Yugi. I-"

"It's alright," Yugi quickly responded, and that alone sent more sorrow crashing against Yami's heart.

"I wasn't even aware about it even though I was there," he started to say fretfully, but Yami stopped when Yugi threw himself into his arms once more. This time, he cried to his heart's content while Yami rubbed his back slowly.

"I miss him so much, Yami!" Yugi cried out, clenching tightly. "Every day I can't help but think about him."

Unable to sooth the young boy, Yami kneeled down which took them both to the ground as Yugi continued to sob even more feverishly in his arms.

"I didn't know what to do, Yami. Now everyone had left me. I had no one. I was still so upset about you leaving that I couldn't even think straight when Grandpa passed!" Yugi was now ranting, crying, and unable to voice himself properly. Everything he had bottled up for so long came crashing down and all Yami as able to do was hold him as he let it all out.

Looking up towards the other two people in the room, Yami saw Kaiba looking at them with sad eyes as Kisara tried to give Mokuba his milk to drink. The kid was squirming around, Kisara desperately trying to keep him under control, all the while showing a lot of concern towards Yugi who was breaking down to tremendously before their eyes.

"Someone did this to me, Yami," Yugi said, a bit of malice in his voice as he spoke. "Someone doesn't want me to be happy."

Never hearing this tone in Yugi's voice before, Yami looked towards Kaiba in hopes of receiving some assurance that this was just something normal, something that he shouldn't be worried about. However, all he got from Kaiba was a shocked expression. He too was looking at Yugi with confusion, as if he had never heard those words leave Yugi's mouth before as well.

"Yugi?" Kaiba began stepping forward, but Yami lifted a hand which told him to stop, and that he will handle it.

"Yugi, what are you talking about? You think someone-" Yami started, but he was cut off.

"No, Yami. I know someone did this to me," Yugi said, the softness in his voice gone. He just sounded angry. So angry. Unsure of what to make of it, Yami was about to push Yugi away from him to look into his eyes, but Yugi held tighter, squeezing Yami's neck. However, Yami played it calmly, trying to allow Yugi to calm down.

"Yugi, who do you think did it then?"

"I don't think! I know!" Yugi yelled, and without warning he gripped Yami's hair tightly.

"Yugi, you're hurting me, Yami managed to say, holding the back of his head to lessen the pain.

"Yugi, what do you think you're doing?" Kaiba exclaimed rushing forward to stop him.

"You did this, Yami! You ruined my family! It's all because of YOU!" Yugi shrieked; and with the last word he sent Yami backwards toward the floor.

"Alright, that's enough!"

Looking up from the floor, Yami watched Bakura as he stormed in with Malik right behind him.

"Bakura! Malik! No, don't you hurt him!" Yami shouted as he tried to get up, but his head continued to throb form the impact it made with the tiled floor.

His shouts fell on deaf ears as Bakura and Malik charged forward, and it was then that Yami saw the hint of red in Yugi's eyes. Yami's eye widened as he saw the deranged look Yugi was showing, but he quickly shrugged that thought off as he saw Bakura and Malik race up to him. He watched as Yugi quickly braced himself before running away and up the stairs. The bang of the door signalled that he had locked himself in presumably his room.

"Are you okay?" Kaiba asked, rushing up to Yami to see if he was alright.

Still dazed and very much confused, Yami nodded as he got to his feet. "Yes, I'm fine, but Yugi?"

Kaiba sighed. "I have no idea what's gotten into him."

"I should go check on him," Yami said, walking towards the stairs.

"Maybe you should leave him alone for a while," Kaiba said, following Yami.

Yami shook his head. "No, I have to make sure he's alright. Something is wrong with him. He blames me for some reason so I have to at least try to understand where he's coming from."

Kaiba sighed as they walked up the stairs and towards Yugi's bedroom." Yami, you are not to blame for whatever happened."

"Seto's right, Yami." Looking back, Yami saw that it was Kisara who had spoken. Her eyes were soft as she gazed at his transparent form. "Yugi loves you a lot. Surely he does not blame you for whatever has happened."

Yami remained silent, and not even bothering to knock on Yugi's door, he walked through only to freeze when he found Yugi flat on the ground.

"Yugi!" Yami exclaimed, dropping to the floor.

It seemed as if the younger boy was unconscious, but as Yami picked him up, he found that Yugi was shaking terribly. His eyes were slammed shut, sweat on his face as he shook, trembling as Yami cradled him on his lap.

"Yugi, Yugi are you okay?" Yami asked, tapping the boy's face a couple of times to receive a reaction of any sort. It was then that Kaiba and Kisara had also entered the room with Bakura and Malik right behind him.

"Yugi?" Yami said again, and it was then that Yugi shot up, breathing heavily with his eyes wide.

"Yami, Yami! I'm so sorry, Yami!" he exclaimed, shaking as he clutched Yami's shirt. "I- I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean it, Yami! I swear, I didn't mean any of it! I'm so sorry."

Yami shushed him. "It's okay, Yugi. It's alright. Please, calm down."

"Yami, Yami, please, I-"

"Yugi, I said it's okay," Yami assured, and picked Yugi off the floor and got him to his feet. "Are you okay?"

"Roland! Go get me some water!" Kisara yelled, rushing out of the room. A moment later she returned with a glass filled with the clear liquid and gave it to Yugi.

"Are you okay now?" Yami asked as Yugi drank the water down.

Yugi sniffed, wiping his eyes as he gave Kisara the glass. "I'm fine." He then sighed, looking back up to Yami. "Yami, I promise, I didn't mean anything that I said. I don't know where those words even come from. I know it's not your fault, and I don't even think my life has been ruined. Please Yami, you have to believe me-"

"Yugi!" Yami shouted, looking angry. "I already told you. It's alright. If you say you didn't mean it, then you didn't mean it." He smiled assuring Yugi. "Now, why don't we go back downstairs and you can catch me up on everything that has happened while I was away, okay?"

Yugi nodded, and they all made their way back down the stairs.

* * *

"Yeah, and did you know Randy is now a popular director?" Yugi exclaimed, munching on the piece of cake that the chef had brought.

"No way! You don't mean that crazy guy that bothered Grandpa since day one?" Yami asked, laughing. "I had some great time over the years messing with him."

Yugi laughed. "Yeah! He always made me laugh. He even calls sometimes, actually, every time people like his movie ideas, he thanks us for making his life so crazy that he now has many stories to tell."

They all burst out laughing at that.

"Hey, Yami. Guess you did scare some people in your time," Bakura said, grabbing another cookie from the plate.

"I told you!" Yami shouted, chuckling.

"Hey, how is it that we can eat even though we're ghosts?" Malik asked, snatching the last cookie before Bakura could grab it.

"I don't know, but who really cares? We can eat," Yami answered.

The others giggled at the mere presence of the three spirits.

"Wow, I never would have thought that I would be serving three spirits," Kisara muttered from the ground where Mokuba was now rolling about.

"I hope we aren't too much of a bother," Yami asked, finishing up his drink.

Kisara chuckled. "No, of course not! After getting over the fact that I wasn't dreaming, I'm thrilled. I can finally meet one of my husband's family members."

"That reminds me, Seto. How did I make the both of you meet?" Yami asked, blinking at Kaiba.

"No way!" Kisara exclaimed, sitting up. "You didn't tell him how we met?"

Kaiba laughed. "Alright, alright, I'll tell you." He sighed before beginning, only to have Kisara cut him off as soon as he opened his mouth.

"I was a reporter working on an article for this strange… group. I was beginning my career at this time and these people called me up, asking me to do an article based off of a very popular ghost story here in Domino," Kisara explained.

"Let me guess, it was my story?" Yami asked, rolling his eyes playfully.

"Yep! I did the story, and I found a lot of news articles surrounding the house and all that. So, I wrote the article and gave it to the people, but I was still so touched by the story. So I did a little digging and found some records of the family."

"And that's how she found me," Kaiba spoke up.

"Yeah…" Kisara drawled. "I was instantly attracted to him, and it wasn't long after that we started going out."

"After Yugi got me to go on the date." Kaiba stated.

Yugi laughed and Yami rose his brow. "So it was technically Yugi who brought you two together," Yami said.

"But without your story I would have never searched Seto out in the first place," Kisara insisted.

Yami shrugged, laughing anyways. "Alright, alright." He then stopped, feeling Bakura lean closer to him.

"Yami, we'll have to be going soon," he whispered, and Yami instantly frowned.

"It's late already. We won't be able to spend long," Malik then said.

"Is anything wrong, Yami?" Yugi asked, seeing the sadness that had shown up on Yami's face.

Yami shook his head and smiled, but Bakura just scowled.

"Yes, something is wrong," he snapped. "We have to be going soon."

Every one fell silent at the news.

"Really, Yami?" Yugi then asked. He stood up and made his way over to the spirit. "You have to leave already?"

Yami nodded. "I will have to go, but I don't have to leave right now…"

"Yes, we need to go," Malik said stiffly. "Don't forget how we got here. People will start to realise that we're missing," he said, whispering the last part towards Yami alone. However, everyone still heard.

"How did you get here, Yami?" Kaiba asked, standing also.

Yami sighed before finally admitting it. "We snuck out."

They all gasped, and Kaiba nodded, understanding their predicament. "Then I think you should leave." Yami's head snapped up at what Kaiba had said. "Yes, it has been great seeing you again, Yami, but, you don't belong here. You belong in the afterlife now, and we don't want this visit to cost you or your friends anything."

Yami eyes began to well up from his brother's words. He didn't want to leave. He hugged Kaiba tightly. "I'll miss you all too much."

Kaiba sighed. "We'll miss you too, but, remember that we'll see each other one day soon. Okay?"

Yami wiped his tears as he nodded. "I know." He then turned to Yugi who gave him a tight hug also.

"I'll miss you, Yami," he said, tears returning to his eyes.

Yami kissed him on the forehead. "I'll miss you too. Please take care of yourself, alright?"

Yugi nodded. "You too!"

Yami stepped away from the, and went to the center of the room with Bakura and Malik right behind him. He then pulled out the key. Holding it tightly, he whispered few words. As soon as he did, the door appeared in the sky. Immediately they disappeared into little dusts and floated up to the sky as his family watched below with tears in their eyes. As he closed his eyes and reopened them, Yami and the other two found themselves in the small room with the doors once again.

Yami sniffled, wiping the last of the tears away.

"You'll see them again, Yami," Malik said.

"Yeah, unless they go to hell," Bakura chortled, and Yami shot him an angry look.

"If you made it here then they definitely will," Yami said, and it made Bakura frown as Malik laughed at the comeback. "Close the door and let's go back," Yami said, walking towards the door that led to heaven before he froze. Quickly he spun around to see the equally shocked expressions on the other two spirits' faces.

Yami's breath was caught in his throat as he stared at the now wide opened door that led to earth.

"Who left the door open?" shocked and scared gazes were what he received.

* * *

 **There we go. The end of the chapter. I do hope you liked it. Sorry that it seems a bit choppy and ugly to read. I was re-editing, and I just wanted to get it up… I think I'm coming down with something. Ugh. -.- Review please. :) And thank you for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all so, so much for the wonderful reviews you have left! I was really happy to see the comments and the love. I will continue until I've completed this fic. I am also trying to update as soon as I can, so please be patient with me. I thank you for the patience you've had, and so please, read on! I fixed the previous chapter, so you can re-read if you like. If not, continue!**

 **RESPONSE~**

 **Hello, Shrangorku! Thank you for your reviews. I really appreciate them, especially the ones about your OC's, Shrangorku Yoshitorokawa and Queen Cleopatra the Seventh. You gave me a lot of information about the two, and I do have to say that they are pretty cool characters that you've created. Keep it up! But, unfortunately I'll have to turn down the offer. I don't really write fanfics that revolves around OC's (as main characters unless they are a villain). I'm really sorry, and I do hope you understand. :) But again, thank you for asking and telling me.**

 **Anyways…**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem Returns

Chapter 4

* * *

"Why is that door open?" Yami asked, his fear rising as each syllable left his mouth. Shaking slightly, he threw worried glances towards Bakura and Malik who wore similar expressions, both staring at door which was wide open. There was silence for a while, none of them holding and answer to the question.

"Malik was the last one to leave, so, Malik, did you close the door?" Bakura asked, and Yami watched as Bakura looked at Malik. Malik though was still staring at the door, his mouth fumbling to grasp words and his brain wracking through his memory in hopes of remembering if he had locked the door.

"I swear, I thought I closed it," Malik said anxiously, and he turned to look at Yami who was red in the face with anger, gripping the handle of the door and closing it quickly.

"You _**thought**_?!" Yami shouted at the two, his eyes wide with disbelief and rage. "Do you know what you've just done?! The evil spirits have probably been let loose, and if that happens, the God's won't hesitate to banish us!"

"Hey, this was all your fault to begin with," Bakura shot, stepping in front of Yami. With one hands raised, he held it against Yami's chest to keep him in place before he lost his mind and started to throw punches after accusing them. No doubt seeing the serious look on Bakura's face, Yami drew back and instead clenched his hands into fists.

"I know that, but Malik was supposed to close the door," Yami said stiffly, looking at Malik who rolled his eyes and turned away. "Everyone knows the dangers of leaving these doors open, yet-"

"Yami, be quiet, alright," Malik said, annoyance evident in his voice. "Look, the door to hell isn't even open so there may be a chance that no spirits had escaped."

Yami growled, shaking his head. "I'm not so hopeful. The door to earth was wide open. Something has gone out to earth. I'm telling you, something has escaped and we could be in serious trouble. Not just me, but all of us."

"Yami, it's probably nothing," Bakura tried to reassure him, but Yami wasn't convinced. His gut twisted painfully as he thought about the situation and tried to come up with other reasons as to why the door was wide open. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of anything else. With a sinking feeling in his gut, uneasily Yami watched as Bakura stepped forward and reached for the door handle to enter heaven. Things seemed fine, but he couldn't stop fear from consuming him. Bakura seems sure that nothing escaped, and sure, maybe nothing did by the looks of it. Yet…

Sighing, Yami stepped forward with the key as he was left with no other option but to put the situation aside. There was nothing he could do at this point. Putting the key into the keyhole, he turned slightly and with a click, the door opened and the three blinked blearily as the light shone into the small room. With his eyes, Yami signalled the other two to remain where they were while he peeked out. He had to make sure no one was in the garden or else they would be caught coming out of a door that shouldn't have been accessible to them. Seeing no one, he turned back to the other two before stepping out.

"Hurry up. Someone may appear at any moment," Yami ushered frantically, and the three ran across the lawn as carefully and quickly as they could.

Without being caught, the three walked out of the God's area. Hopefully no one had caught them sneaking out or else they would have been in deep trouble. Osiris's trust in Yami would have would have been bruised and they would be punished for disobeying the rules set in place. They were not on earth anymore. They won't get jailed for their disobedience. It was a heaven and hell matter. They would either have to beg for forgiveness, or get kicked out. Looking towards the two beside him, he saw that they were both a little tensed, but relaxed as soon as they got out.

"Thankfully we weren't caught," Malik said, stretching as he yawned.

"It was too easy though. We couldn't have got out that easily. Surely someone would have noticed that the door was open, don't you think?" Bakura wondered out loud, and Yami just bit his lip in response as Bakura glanced at both him and Malik. Bakura did have a point.

"What's wrong with you?"

Hearing Bakura speak to him, Yami snapped out of his deep ponderings and looked up, only to quickly look away only to be met with Malik's curious gaze. Not wanting to look at them, he stared before him and realised that they were at the street where they all lived.

"Nothing," Yami answered, and he began to walk.

"You're missing that kid, aren't you?" Malik guessed, and Yami remained silent.

"Didn't you literally just see him? You can't be missing him already?" Bakura asked exasperatedly.

"I can't help it," Yami admitted softly, only to immediately feel regret for spilling out his inner emotions to these two, yet somehow he couldn't stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth. "He's like another little brother to me. During the time we were together, we built such a strong relationship. I just feel torn once again without him."

"Yeah, well, don't worry," Malik tried to comfort, and Yami could hear the cautiousness and confusion in his voice. "You will see him again."

"Yeah, stop being so depressed," Bakura chimed in, stuffing his hands into his pockets, and hearing the two act so differently towards him, Yami couldn't help but chuckle quietly. He gazed at the ground with a smile on his face before looking up to glance at them both.

"If you two continue talking to me like that, I'll start assuming that you actually care about me."

"Don't get your hopes up. It's only a onetime thing," Bakura snapped, and with an irritated and embarrassed look gracing his face, he walked away. But, as soon as Bakura left, Yami felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around he saw Malik looking uncomfortable, but continuing to speak anyways.

"We can understand how it feels to be separated from your loved ones. It just takes a little waiting. You'll meet him again," Malik comforted strangely once more, and Yami nodded.

"I know."

Seeing Malik nod at his response, the two looked up to see that Bakura had not walked too far away from them. He stopped infront of a small, warm looking home which Yami knew was his. His home also came before theirs, so naturally they stopped by for a bit to watch Yami leave before going to their own homes. However, this time they seemed to want to stick around because as soon as they crossed the small white gates to enter into the yard, Heba came running up to them.

"Yami!" Heba cried happily, jumping into his brother's arms. Yami smiled, stroking the other boy's blond hair out of his eyes.

"Hey, Heba."

"Malik! Kura!" Heba then squealed, not even noticing that Yami had settled him properly into his arms and was now holding him. "Where were you all?" he asked, blinking innocently. "I didn't see you all day!" he pouted, crossing his arms in mock anger.

Malik and Bakura looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders before smiling up at the little boy, only to get pulled into the house as Yami began to enter. It's not that they didn't want to stay. They were actually thinking of seeing everyone before leaving. However, before they could make their intentions clear, Heba had grabbed their hair and began pulling them along as Yami carried him into the house.

"Mom!" Yami called out as he entered with Bakura and Malik rubbing their sore heads furiously as Heba finally let them go.

"In the kitchen," she called back, and just a moment later she entered the living room and set some bowls down on to the table. She looked up, wiping her hands on the white, frilly apron around her waist. "Malik and Bakura, wow, you two haven't been over in ages." She then glanced towards Yami. "Where have you three been today? Heba was constantly asking me where you were, Yami."

"Sorry, I just had some last minute plans," he said slowly, carefully choosing his words. He didn't have to turn around to know that Bakura and Malik were giving him knowing glances and trying to act as innocent as possible.

Aria, his mother, sighed. "Well you should have at least notified me. I was so worried."

"Well stop worrying. Nothing will happen to me," Yami assured, but once again his stomach twisted into a knot.

"Yeah, we're sort of already dead, so, what could possibly happen?" Malik piped up cheerily, and instantly Yami's mother gave him a look which made him shut his mouth.

"C'mon. Come eat," Aria said, pointing towards the table. "You look even skinnier from the last time I saw you." Dragging himself towards the table, Yami twitched as he felt his mother's eyes examining him from head to toe only to finally look away and stare and Bakura and Malik.

"You two also," she snapped at Malik and Bakura, and the two didn't hesitate to dive right in since Yami's mother was known for making delicious food.

"Oh, and since you three have been gone, a problem had arose," Aria said as she dropped fresh vegetables into Heba's bowl.

"What kind of problem?" Yami asked uninterestedly. He was too busy scarfing down the mashed potatoes and peas to care about what had happened. His mother tended to make little problems seem huge at times.

"An evil spirit from the shadow realm have somehow found its way to earth."

Looking up, Yami, Bakura, and Malik dropped and choked on their food. "What?!" they all shouted in unison towards the big man who had spoken, walking down the stairs and into the dining area. Said man rose his eyebrows to stare at the three quizzically, but shrugged it off. The news surprised him as well when he heard it. He had been in heaven for a very long time, and no matter was ever as urgent as this.

"Yes, the Gods are looking into it as we speak. They found out early this morning," the man continued. Aside from the scrapes the spoon made with the glass bowls and plates, everyone was dead silent, especially Yami, Bakura, and Malik.

"Dad, uh, when did they find out?" Yami asked timidly.

Bakura and Malik remained silent, surely both of them planning their escape. It was his fault though, at the end of it all. A spirit escaped. That was a very big problem, and they caused it. He caused it. He was going to be in so much trouble that the God's wouldn't hesitate to throw him out. An evil spirit on earth would cause nothing but destruction and chaos.

His father looked up and stared into his eyes as he answered. "A bit before midday, if I've heard correctly."

Yami gulped nervously, deciding to just remain quiet. Yep. It was because of them. Him. They were going to be in so much trouble.

"Do they know who did it?" Malik then asked, and Aknamkanon shook his head before taking a seat at the table. Immediately Yami's mother began pouring him some vegetables. As he chewed, he looked at Malik and replied, "No, not as yet. They're looking into it right now. I've heard they have a lead though."

Yami, brushing away the scary moment, smiled. It was a bad habit he remembered his father having. Chewing while eating. It was good to see him again after returning to heaven, and he was certainly happy to see that his mother and father had met and got back together. Then Heba came along, and his father had happily accepted him. They waited patiently for Yami's arrival, and he came sooner than expected. His parents had cried at the beginning, saddened that their sons were unable to spend a proper life on earth, but eventually they had gotten over it having realised they were atleast together now.

"What do you think they'll do to the people who let them out?" Bakura asked cautiously. By the look the white headed spirit received from Aknamkanon, Yami had no more time to reminisce.

"People? What makes you think that someone let them out?" The man gave each of them a doubtful glance. "Is there something you three know about this situation?"

"Ah, no, Dad," Yami cut in, grinning nervously. "Just, curious."

At that moment, a loud banging sound erupted through the small home. Everyone looked up as Aknamkanon got up to see who was causing the rude interruption.

"What's going on?" Aknamkanon asked as he opened the door to be met with three guards. From the way they were dressed it was evident that they were sent by the Gods.

Seeing them at the door from where they were sitting, the three of them paled and watched worriedly as Aria too got up to see what was going on. Looking at each other, they too got up and slowly went towards the doorway as well.

"We were sent by the Gods: Osiris, Obelisk, and Ra to take Yami, Bakura, and Malik to them," one of the guards explained firmly.

"Why? Are they under arrest for something?" And at that, Aknamkanon shot the three behind him a suspicious look.

"We were not given orders as such. We were just sent to collect them. The Gods need to have a word with them," the same guard continued to explain.

"What do we do?" Bakura whispered to Yami. "You've got us stuck in this mess now how do we get out?"

"I'll handle it," Yami growled out to him, and Bakura pulled away, unsatisfied with Yami's statement.

"You three, follow us," the guard said, and the three of them cautiously and very hesitantly followed the guards out. The bulky guards walked behind them, probably making sure that they wouldn't run off. Bakura and Malik kept shooting each other worried glances, and then glowering at Yami together. They were unable to speak to each other at all about the situation. They were just promptly escorted on and in the carriage that would take them straight to the palace of the Gods.

In no time, the carriage jerked to a stop and they were once again followed out. They all had stayed quiet, each trying to come up with a good reason as to why they had gone to earth without permission. Why they had broken a very important rule. By this meeting, surely the Gods have figured out what they had done.

"Thank you. You may leave now," a commanding voice said as they entered the familiar room. The three boys watched as the guards walked out of the familiar dark blue, sparkly floor, and sky like walls. Nervously they stared up at the three Gods who sat before them, looking quite tensed. Casting a glance towards Osiris, Yami frowned as he realised that the God was refusing to meet his eyes. Yes, disappointment was very clear. So was the betrayal. As the door slammed shut, signalling that the guards have left, Yami, Bakura, and Malik fell to their knees to pay their respect.

"Rise," the authoritative voice of Ra said. This time, it sounded a lot harsher than usual. They quickly got up, still looking at the ground.

"Do you know why you three have been called here today? I'm sure you have by now heard that an evil spirit from the Realm of the Shadows have escaped down to earth," Ra said, sitting on his throne and looking at the three with a sudden calm. It unnerved the three who stood at the base of the steps. Were they caught, or was it just a notification thing?

"We know," Yami said, trying to sound as brave as possible without trying to give away any fear or nervousness.

"Ra, I am sorry for my rudeness, but don't we already know that it is these three that freed the evil creature from its cage!?" Obelisk roared, standing up and glaring at the three down below.

"It was Yami's idea," Bakura hissed angrily, eyes locking with Obelisk's icy blue ones.

"If I recall properly, it was you two that threatened him to go to earth," Osiris snapped, sitting up straighter in his chair.

"But we didn't tell him to do it! Besides, you told us not to continue that idea," Malik exclaimed next, arguing with the God.

"It's true," Yami admitted softly, not wanting Bakura or Malik to be blamed for his decision. All the eyes which were turned to him were filled with shock. "It was I who decided to go to earth. I betrayed your trust, Osiris, and used the key you had given me to leave. I was unable to do it, but when Malik and Bakura told me their challenge, I readily gave in. I used it as an excuse."

Everyone was silent until a voice broke the quietness.

"Why did you do it, Yami?" Osiris asked. "You are surely aware of the rule set in place and what could happen."

Yami nodded. "I know, but I had to go back because I missed Yugi; the child who had helped me achieve peace. I just wanted to see him again."

"Inexcusable!" Obelisk exclaimed, glaring at Yami before looking at the other two Gods who were silent. "How can you stay silent to a reason like that? A spirit is forever a spirit." He turned back to Yami. "You cannot leave whenever you please. All you can do is wait for the person to pass on and then arrive on their own."

Yami remained silent. He knew that already, but he just wanted to see the boy once more…

"You acted very selfishly, Yami," Ra stated, standing up. "And to get whatever it was you desired, you have put those on earth in danger."

"And do not think you two are off the hook. Bakura and Malik, you both are equally as responsible for this as Yami is," Osiris said, staring at the three of them. "So far, that was the only spirit that have been unloosed. Luckily we had caught the disturbance just in time before anymore was set free."

"You do not understand the calamity of the situation," Obelisk continued, his voice low and grave. "Do you know which spirit you've unleashed? Do you know about the chaos and destruction it will bring? It will cause such a disturbance that it will become disastrous for everyone living and dead! They will destroy, and eat. All those innocent, wandering spirits that are still on earth, will be targeted as food for that evil. That spirit is even capable of possession. Once it has someone, it can make the person do whatever they want. And worst of all... no one will be expecting it. The spirit could be anywhere and tracking them down would almost be impossible. Do you finally understand the length of your immaturity? Do you?!"

"I'm sorry," Yami cried, looking up. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I tried to be as careful as I could be, but somehow the door was left open-"

"Carelessness!" Obelisk yelled. "I do not understand why you are so close with such a spirit, Osiris. Look what he has done. I warned you about giving a normal spirit a key as powerful as that."

Osiris sighed, and stood with his head bowed. Yami watched sadly as Osiris looked at him and stretched out his hand. "Yami, I want you to return that key to me."

Without a word, Yami reached into his pocket and pulled out the key. "I'm sorry," Yami said once more as he put the key into the Gods hand. Osiris nodded.

"I'm sure you are, but this is a blunder that cannot be forgiven. You three have committed a grave crime that could, and will, cost many lives."

Silently Yami took his place back in the middle of Bakura and Malik. Looking over to them, their faces held a hint of anger, and a lot of sadness. Malik was shaking his head to himself while Bakura remained still, his face firm. Yami bit his lip, staring at the ground as sadness washed over him. It was all his fault. He had caused this and now they were going to pay the ultimate price.

"Please, do not punish Bakura and Malik," Yami pleaded, looking up at the Gods. From the corner of his eyes he could see Bakura and Malik looking at him with surprise. He sighed and then continued knowing that this was the right thing to do. He refused to let them be punished for his wrongdoing. "This was my fault. We wouldn't have gone if I didn't choose to go. I chose the wrong decision. This problem has been caused because of me so do not punish these two for my mistake."

"No." Looking up, Yami was startled to see that it was Bakura who had spoken. "Malik and I encouraged him to do it. Like you said, this was our fault too."

"I was the one who had the responsibility to close the door as we left. Yami told me to make sure it was closed, and I was the one who was careless," Malik said, speaking also.

"Guys…" Yami trailed off with a surprised and mildly happy tone. They weren't going to leave him alone.

The Gods looked at each other nervously, not sure of what they should do about the statements that came from the three boys in front of him.

"Well, seeing as to how all three of you are ready to face your punishments," Ra began.

"We're going to send you home for now," Osiris ended off.

"However, guards shall accompany you at all times to make sure you don't run off," Obelisk added.

Yami gulped and stepped forward a bit. "What are you going to do about the spirit?" he began nervously, "because, I would like to help recapture it."

"Since this was caused because of us, we'd like the opportunity to fix it," Bakura said, stepping forward next to Yami.

"We all had a role to play, so, before we get tortured for eternity, we would like to help solve this problem we've caused," Malik said, stepping forward as well.

Once again the Gods gave each other a look. Speaking in a language known only to them, the three discussed what should be done. Bakura, Yami, and Malik looked at each other, trying to give one another some comfort. Things weren't looking up for them and Yami's face alone held much regret. This was not the price he wanted to pay for visiting Yugi.

A cough brought them all out of their thoughts. Looking up, they saw Obelisk's cold gaze and Osiris's saddened once. Ra was forever impossible to read, so he stared at the long and hard before saying what they think should be done. Giving one last look to the two Gods beside him, Ra finally spoke.

"We have decided."

* * *

 **So, finally done this chapter… I hope it was good and not too boring! Please review and tell me what you think, alright? I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. Also, I hope you all aren't too bothered about Bakura and Malik's OOCness… In this story, they are Yami's friends, so, a little bit of friendliness will happen.**

 **Kay, bye! And many thanks for reading. Please review! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**-IMPORTANT-**

 **I will explain immediately. The story has gone under reconstruction in one day. I've switched the plot a bit to bring my drive back, and I have to say, I'm liking it so far. I've took out chapter six and chapter and merged them together. Chapter four has been edited slightly, that was why it wasn't removed, but instead of having out all read chapter 4 again, I will just tell you. ONLY ONE SPIRIT ESCAPED. The seven sins… I scrapped them. I want this to be short, but exciting. So I dropped the baddies down to one, and one that will surely have you squirming in your seats, hopefully. This chapter is a definite read. Some things are the same, but the important parts are very much DIFFERENT. So I would really like it if you re-read this on chapter. It explains everything.**

 **Thank you all for your wonderful words. As soon as I saw people wanting me to continue, I knew what I had to do. I sat down the very same day and began to reconstruction. It wasn't a lot, so that is why I'm posting this again, reconstructed, in just a few hours.**

 **Again. Chapter six was removed and has been merged with chapter five. There is just one spirit that was unleashed, and you will learn about that spirit in this chapter. The story goes on.**

 **REVIEWS~**

 **Dina - This is why I love getting reviews. You all help point out mistakes that I made, and it makes it easier for me to go in and fix them. I have added Wrath to the list last chapter since I forgot to include it, so thank you for pointing that out.**

 **Shrangorku - Don't worry. I am not ignoring you. I do see your reviews and I truly do ponder about making your characters a possible villain in my future stories. It's just the matter of "how" and "when" for now. Okay? Thank you! :)**

 **Mendax – You are still SO on to something. – wink – Love it! And here is your update!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem Returns

Chapter 5

* * *

"We have decided."

With a sunken stomach, Yami looked up into the eyes of the three God's that sat before them. Ra's eyes were locked on his, and Yami swallowed loudly, unnerved by the cold stare that was cast his way. They had a right to be angry, but he also truly wanted to fix the problem he had caused. Plus, he was oddly grateful to Bakura and Malik for wanting to help as well, even though it wasn't completely their doing. However, from the looks of it, his hope weren't going to be fulfilled. Osiris refused to meet his gaze and just overall looked disappointed, while Obelisk glared at the other two that stood beside him that were staring at the dark blue, glittering floor.

"You will be put under house arrest until further notice," Ra boomed, and at his voice, Yami's eyes widened and he stared at the blond haired man, God, in mild disbelief. Glancing at Bakura and Malik, Yami could see similar expressions on their faces, but they all knew it was coming so no one dared to open their mouths and voice otherwise.

"You will not leave your homes until this mess is sorted. And as soon as it is, we will discuss a proper punishment for your disobedience."

"Initially we had thought about indeed sending you back to earth to clean up your mess, but knowing you three, the way you've behaved, and the way you have proved yourself on how you act, we changed our minds," said Obelisk, and with one arm resting on the handle of the throne he gazed wearily at the three boys.

"But can't we atleast try to fix it?" Malik spoke up next, and all eyes turned towards him.

"We will not send you back there," Obelisk said sternly, but it was clear that Malik wasn't ready to back down. His own face held a spark of determination, the way his eyes hardened and his fists clenched at his sides, and the way he pursed his lips together into a thin line… Although he had no words to convince the God's, Yami knew that the sandy blonde, tanned teen beside him was sure of the claims he was making.

"Atleast give us a chance to prove that we can do it," Bakura added in for Malik, and seeing them stand up like that, Yami looked up at the God's and stepped forward as well. They caused the problem, so it was their duty to solve it. That should be their punishment. That was how they should atone for their actions. What would house arrest do? How would they learn their lesson?

"Allow us to show you that we can help resolve the issue we created instead of making it worse. Give us time to catch the spirit, please. If we can't, then we will return and accept our punishment." Yami continued, and he looked at Malik and Bakura who gave him reassuring glances. He turned back to Ra. "Please."

Ra leaned back into his throne and locked his fingers together infront of him. Seeing him think deeply to himself, Yami watched as Obelisk looked at Ra in disbelief seeing as to how the God was actually thinking about the idea, while Osiris still remained quiet, brooding silently as well. Bakura and Malik didn't say a word to Yami when he looked over to them. Their eyes were locked on the Egyptian Gods, watching anxiously. Yami turned away and glanced at the floor. Would their wish be granted now?

"Alright," Ra said, and all eyes fastened themselves on to him form. The Sun God looked at the three of them with resolution. "You will have your chance to prove that you are trustworthy enough."

The three spirits broke out into grins, only to disappear when Ra continued.

"However, if you fail…"

They held their breaths.

"I will have no choice but to cast you out."

Yami's brows furrowed, unsure of what the God meant. Taking another glance over to Bakura and Malik, again, similar expressions were worn on their faces. Yami turned back to Ra.

"What do you mean, that we will be cast out?" he asked, his voice quiet. Being cast out could mean anything. They could be thrown out of heaven and into hell, thrown out into the Shadows, or thrown out on to earth, the worse kind of punishment since the spirit would forever be unable to leave, to be seen, much like how he was all those years before Yugi freed him.

"He means that you will be thrown on to earth for a set number of years. It may be hundreds, thousands of years even," Obelisk explained, his voice hard and eyes cold. "I, for one, will not feel any pity for you. And," Yami watched as Obelisk smirked to himself. "Don't think that you will be down on earth playing tricks on earth like you used to do. No, you will be alone, unable to do anything else than move and talk to no one but yourselves. You won't even be able to speak with each other, and you definitely will not be able to see each other the same way no other spirit will be able to see you."

"What?" Yami heard Malik whisper under his breath, and feeling tensed, Yami bit his own lip, feeling his heart pounding beneath his chest. How were they going to go about catching the spirits? There was so much on the line, even Bakura and Malik who were standing by his side even though they've done nothing. It was on him. But, if they don't atleast try, they will receive, probably, an even worse punishment. What should he do? What can they do?

"We accept!"

Yami's head snapped up to see Bakura standing forth, his eyes locked on the Gods.

"We accept the terms. Just tell us, what exactly are we up against?"

"Bakura, house arrest sounded better," Malik whispered fiercely to white haired teen, but Yami watched as Bakura shot the tanned one a warning glare. Malik pouted, and let out his own voice of approval, knowing that he wasn't going to be heard and minds wouldn't be changed, especially Bakura's.

"Fine, I agree as well."

"Bakura, Malik," Yami began, still in disbelief that the spirits had actually agreed to the terms even after hearing what would happen to them if they were to fail. Bakura though turned to him and nodded, and Yami held his breath, never before seeing such a sign of certainty in the white haired teen. Trusting him, Yami turned to the three Gods.

"I agree to the terms too. We will be cast out if we fail." Yami took a deep breath. "Is there any information that we should, or can, know about?"

The Gods were silent for a moment, each giving each other unreadable looks as they sat on their thrones before finally turning back to the spirits who waited patiently for an answer. Ra then shifted, and nodded slowly.

"Alraime is the one who escaped," Ra stated, and he looked at the three of them levelly. "He was casted away thousands of years ago for almost destroying the world with his unspeakable power, and ever since then he's been clawing at that door, waiting for an opportunity where he could escape. He waited there, patiently, for that moment, and you've just given it to him."

"Alraime… I've never heard of him before," Malik began, his determination replaced with nervousness that grew with each second.

"Of course you haven't. Not a lot of people do. He's a forgotten evil, but one that remains powerful and continued to get powerful. It took all three of us to bring him down so many years ago, and that was when he was young. He's very old now, and his power without doubt must have grown."

"The how do we even begin to capture him?" Yami exclaimed frantically, but he tried to keep it under control. He had thought just some little devil had escaped, not a being like this. Their challenge has only been increased tenfold by the information.

It was then when Osiris finally spoke.

"You don't have to capture him," he said softly. "All you three have to do it find where he is, and let us know immediately. Don't you even dare try to approach that creature though. We will take care of him from there as soon as he's found."

Understanding, Yami nodded. It should be easier, their task. Now, the only problem was…

"How are we supposed to find him then?" Malik asked. "We don't even know what he looks like." And without hesitating, Yami's eyes turned to the sound of Obelisk letting out a deep growl, and before he knew it, he heard the God's voice resonate throughout the room.

"He doesn't have skin."

"Huh?" Malik squeaked, and Yami found himself having goosebumps at the words.

"He's a mist. A mist of darkness that he wears like a black cloak. And his eyes, redder than the flames of the sun. He has no mouth, no hands of his own, but all he needs is a vessel to use and bend at his whim, and destruction shall fall. Everything will be ruined. Everyone, will die."

They all remained quiet, no one daring to speak. Yami could feel his heart shaking at the mere thought of facing that being. How in the world were they supposed to find such a creature? Where would they even begin? And, what if they don't make it? It would be too late and the world, the world would cease to exist. So much, just because they left the door open. It was his fault. One mistake was going to cost everyone everything!

His eyes watered, and with shaking hands he wiped them away quickly before anyone could notice and wrapped those arms around himself. What was he going to do? Looking at Malik and Bakura, he could see them shaking as well, their gulps not hard to miss, their teeth grinding together anxiously. He felt even worse. He's never seen them look like that before. They were never scared.

"Don't be afraid. Have courage and believe in yourselves." They all looked up to see Osiris looking at them, his words soft. "You wanted to help, and that alone is very courageous of you. Now, just keep that conviction and do your part. I trust that you will not allow Alraime to get away with his plans." Osiris sighed, his eyes slipping closed and filling up with care as he looked at their fear stricken faces. "Alraime, he shouldn't have gotten far. He should still be in Domino City since that is the place he was released into. Besides, he won't be moving any time soon. The world is not the same as he used to know it. He would be lost, and would take time to gather himself, and find a host."

Yami nodded. "I think we understand," he said, glancing at the three Gods before turning to look Bakura and Malik's way. They were quiet, but returned his gaze with a spark of fight in their eyes.

"We will try our best," Bakura assured. "We caused it, and we will do whatever we can to stop Alraime."

"Could he be stopped though?" Malik asked, and at that the Gods were silent.

"We will figure out what needs to be done. You just go and find him," Obelisk said, and the three nodded.

"Then go," Ra said, gesturing towards the door with his left hand, his white sleeve hanging from the movement. "Remember. Alraime is lost. He followed you and is now in a place, a world, he's unfamiliar with."

"Got it," Bakura said, and just as Yami made a move to turn around and follow the other two who were also beginning to make their way out, they stopped when Obelisk gave them another warning, another deadline to meet before their chances were through.

"You only have three days to find him. That is as long as he will stay still. After that, he will move and we can't allow that to happen. We will have no choice but to step in, and when we do, you know what happens," he warned, and although very much surprised and worry written all over their faces as they gave each other concerned looks, they nodded all the same before continuing to walk across the sparkly blue floors and towards the big doors.

"I will follow them out," a voice said, and as Yami walked, he knew that it was Osiris that said those words. The God was quiet, his footsteps soundless, but Yami could feel the strong presence behind him. Bakura and Malik were silent as mice as well, and Yami knew that they could feel the unmeasurable power walking behind them as well.

They left the palace and walked towards the door that would lead them to the world of the living, and Yami watched guiltily as Osiris punched in a few symbols into the keypad before the door gave a small 'click' sound. Hearing that and feeling a nudge from Bakura that told him to say something, Yami looked on as Osiris held the door open after withdrawing the key from the hole and looked at them with an urging expression before Yami finally spoke.

"Osiris," Yami began, and he took a deep breath, trying to still the shaking of his voice. "I'm very sorry for betraying you. I just- I didn't-"

"Good luck on your quest," Osiris said suddenly, looking through the door, and slowly Yami watched as Bakura and Malik stepped inside after giving Yami a glance and a raised eyebrow. Looking at Osiris and realising that he wasn't going to be spoken to, Yami's shoulder's sagged and he stepped in with Bakura and Malik.

"We'll fix this," he said one last time, the willpower strong in his voice as Osiris began to close the door, and Yami's hope grew when Osiris nodded, the door shutting before them. Turning around, Yami glanced at the two spirits that were looking at him expectantly. Bakura's arms were crossed, and Malik had his hands in his pockets, both staring at him intently.

"Now what?" Malik asked. "We've practically thrown ourselves out to get destroyed. So, what do we do? How do we do this?!"

"Calm down. We just have to find him," Bakura said, and Yami could see the mental assurances the spirit was giving himself. "We have to start somewhere, and Osiris already gave us that part. He's somewhere in Domino City."

Yami thought for a moment before speaking, the only thing he could think about on what to do next was crossing his mind and jumping around, asking to be noticed. Deciding to pay attention, Yami nodded and pursed his lips before looking at the two spirits.

"I know where we can go," he said, and with one step he gripped the handle to earth and pulled it open.

* * *

"EEEK!"

"S-Sorry, Kisara. We didn't mean to startle you," Yami explained quickly, staring at Kisara who was holding her chest, breathing heavily to gather herself. They had appeared at the front door of the mansion in mere seconds, and unfortunately Kisara happened to be standing there just as they made their arrival. She didn't take it too well. Concerned, Yami looked at Kisara who was smiling now, still a bit surprised, but happy and was shooing them into the house.

"Ha… th-that's okay!" she exclaimed, shutting the front door before turning back to look at the three of them. Pushing a strand of white hair behind her ear, she again ushered them into the living room. "I was just so shocked, that's all. I mean, you came out of nowhere and for a moment I-" she stopped and took another deep breath. "Never mind all that. Tell me, what are you doing back here? I thought… you were gone," and Yami watched as a frown made its way to her face.

"We have a serious problem," Bakura blurted out, his words tense, and Yami found himself staring at the ground.

"Problem? What problem?" and her blue eyes widened, "You didn't get into trouble, did you?"

"Oh, we got into a lot of trouble," Malik began, "and created another problem that might get us punished, or given the most severe punishment. And, hell, forget about us. We basically put the whole world in danger."

"Yami, what are they talking about?" Kisara asked, fear rising in her voice, and Yami turned to look at her, his eyes softening, gulping back his stammer as he tried to calm her and himself down.

"It's true. We…We have a problem, and we need your help. Not only yours though. We need all the help we can get," and he sighed, glancing around the house. "Is Seto around? And Yugi? It would be better if we explained when everyone is here. And fast."

Kisara nodded, the worry still evident on her face. "Yes, Seto is upstairs actually. And Yugi is home as well. He's probably playing with Mokuba. Just wait here and I'll go get them," she said, and Yami watched as she ran up the elegant, white stairs, he face twisted with apprehension. As soon as she turned the corner, he turned to the two spirits beside him.

"Do you really think they will be able to help?" Malik asked.

"Wouldn't it be better to do this on our own?" Bakura continued, but Yami shook his head.

"We can't do this on our own. If you've forgotten, we are also spirits. You two are almost as lost as Alraime is when it comes to this time period. We need them to help us find him, and we need to do that as soon as possible."

"But how can they help us find him? He's here. Won't that be putting them in danger as well?!" Malik went on, but just before Yami was about to reply, the calls of his name rang out from the house.

"Yami?"

"Yami!"

Spinning around, Yami saw Yugi bounding down the stairs, a wide grin plastered on his face, while Seto walked down with Kisara who was holding the always fidgeting Mokuba in her arms. Seto was smiling, though the questions that laid behind his expression wasn't hard to miss. Yami gulped.

"What are you doing here?" Seto asked as he came to a stop, and Yami chuckled and wrapped his cold arms around Yugi who grabbed him in a tight hug. Brushing the boy's hair and watching as his eyes lit up, Yami turned back to Seto, his face falling serious.

"We need your help."

* * *

Retelling the events that had transpired after they returned to the afterlife had Seto nodding, his face tense and he mulled over what he was just told. Yami didn't know what his brother was thinking, or what he would do. He hadn't reacted much at all unlike Yugi who was now latched at his side, a worried expression on his face intermingled with distress.

"Don't worry, Yami. We'll help you. After such a long time you finally found peace, and I won't let that be taken away from you. Okay? All of you. We'll help fix this," Yugi said, and while the boy wrapped his arms around Yami's waist, he looked at the other two spirits that sat at Yami's side, quiet and thoughtful. "We will stop that spirit, and don't you dare think that this is your fault."

"How can we find this Alraime person though? There are no records of him anywhere," Seto said, and he stared at the screen of his laptop that he had gotten once Yami had told him who the spirit was. Yami looked up to gaze at him. He had no idea himself, so that was why they needed the help. Yami turned to Malik who then grunted, his hands drumming the coffee table he was leaning against from his position on the floor.

"Alraime, he's lost. He's somewhere close by, but we just have to figure out where. He surely must have possessed someone by now!" Malik sighed deeply. "We're so done for."

"You shouldn't have escaped just to see me," Yami heard Yugi mumble, and immediately Yami turned to look at him. "Now you've gotten into so much trouble. Big trouble!"

Yami sighed. "Don't worry, Yugi. I'm the cause of this, but now, we just have to try our best to figure this all out. We can fix it, I'm sure."

"But, how are we supposed to do that?" Kisara said, her voice close to a whisper from her seat beside Seto on the couch.

"We will just have to look for whoever is acting out of ordinary," Bakura guessed, but Yami watched as Seto shook his head.

"That would be hard. I really don't know the people around here, so figuring out whether they're acting strange or not would be difficult."

They all fell quiet, each in their own world as to how they were going to find that spirit. He followed them down to earth, and with nowhere to go and unsure of where he is, what and where could the spirit have gone? What would a lost spirit do?!

Yami froze, and his sudden stiffness alerted the others. They all brought their eyes up to look at him, and biting his lip, Yami glanced at Seto who was reaching towards him.

"What happened, Yami?" Seto asked, and Yami took a deep breath before explaining the thought that crossed his mind.

"Alraime, he followed us here," he whispered, and at that Bakura groaned.

"We already know that, you idiot!" he shouted, and Yami shook his head furiously.

"No, no, I know that! But, when a person is lost, don't they usually follow someone that they are familiar with, or know?"

"What are you getting at?" Malik asked, and they all turned to Kisara this time who gasped, remembrance dawning on her features.

"That's right…" she said. "I used to do that when I was a young girl. When I first moved here, and was starting school, I didn't know anyone except my neighbour who I was introduced to when my family and I moved in. The girl, she went to the school and I didn't know how to get back home, so, just by knowing that he lived next to me, I followed her until I knew my way."

"Are you serious? Do you know how dangerous that could have been? What if you followed her and she went to a place that wasn't home?! What would you do then?" Seto exclaimed, and at that Kisara shrugged guiltily.

"I know that now, but at the time I-"

"Just forget it," Seto said, but Kisara's story did hold some significance. Yami looked up at them.

"She is on to something. Alraime, again, is lost. And the only people he knows, unfortunately, is us…" Yami felt dread swelling up inside of him. "Surely Alraime would know he can't navigate around as soon as he got here, and with nowhere to go, perhaps…"

"He followed us! Here!?" Malik cried, and he stood up hastily, his eyes looking around.

"Calm down! This is the last time I'm telling you," Bakura yelled at the sandy blond haired spirit, but Malik remained standing. "Alraime could be anywhere. He could have possessed someone along the way when we were going to Kaiba Corp. There was a long interval between then and now, so stop freaking out. He's somewhere close though, so we have to be careful."

Yami nodded, and he held Yugi tighter, the boy's arms wrapping themselves around his waist. "I know. For all we know, he could be just under our noses." And he sighed, kissing the top of Yugi's head as the boy looked up at him. With the worry in his eyes, they all failed to see the flash of brilliant red that took over Yugi's eyes before disappearing back into the mystifying purple orbs.

* * *

 **End of the chapter. Is the change better? I have certainly, again, found this story interesting to write. I just hope I still have your interest, and hopefully more of it now that the danger has increased tenfold, and our enemy not so hard to spot. So yes. I really appreciate that you all took the time to continue reading, and re-reading, and I am sure that there won't be any more changes. This story is awesome! Not as warm as the other one, but will show a darker side that will really test the bond between Yami and Yugi.**

 **Thank you once again for reading, and do please review. However, I fear for some of you that might be hard because the reviews stay the same and it might say you already reviewed to the chapter. Very sorry.**

 **See you next update~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello there my lovely, wonderful, amazing readers and reviewers! Thank you so much for the love you left for the previous chapter, and I do hope you continue to like the story as it moves forward. Things will be getting hectic, so do stay tuned for the updates! I am trying my best to keep updating regularly.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem Returns

Chapter 6

* * *

Darkness had fallen faster than expected, and when it did, they all found themselves turning in for the night earlier than they had wanted. Spending the day scanning through books that seemed more than three hundred years old and tireless searches on the web for anything, any lead that they could find, their eyes and body had grown tired and spent. Desperately they had tried to retrace their steps and plan as to how they were going to find Alraime, only to reach a point where they had to throw ideas out and just start all over again. It was practically impossible, they had concluded, seeing as to how the spirit could have gotten anywhere, taken any road, stopped following them long back. Besides, for all they knew the demon already claimed a vessel and was in the process of planning his universal destruction! How can they find him in four, now three days without a sign of any sort?

Yami laid on the couch in the upstairs living room, an arm under his head and his other arm laying across his stomach as he stared up at the dark ceiling. Unlike Bakura and Malik who took up one of the guest rooms in his brother's mansion, Yami couldn't sleep. This was all happening because of him, and resting without finding a solution to keeping the world and all those who existed safe was his first priority. It was impossible to rest. Taking a deep breath, Yami blinked once and slowly turned to his right side to face the fireplace. Nothing strange had happened when they arrived. Nothing significant really happened that would tell them that, perhaps, Alraime was behind it. None that he could think of at the moment except… Yugi.

When he met with the boy when he returned this time, Yugi was, to say, overtook, with blinded anger and ferocity that he had never seen before. During that moment, he wasn't the Yugi that he had grown to love and adore. But that couldn't be it. That couldn't be sign that Alraime was around, somewhere close. That just didn't mean at all that Alraime was somehow connected, possessing, Yugi. It was impossible, and he wouldn't believe such a thing. What were the chances of that happening? Yami gulped anxiously, and he forced himself to sit up and stare at the wall before him, the cushion that was beside him falling down to land on the huge rug without a sound.

He had to stop thinking like that. His Yugi couldn't be under Alraime's control. If Alraime was controlling him, then surely the demon would have reacted horribly when he heard they were trying to get rid of him. It was Yugi who was with them. Yugi through and through, and even after that moment that happened on the first day, Yugi had apologised and cried because, because… he was unsure of what happened to him. And the eyes. He had seen a spark of red in Yugi's eyes when he lashed out at him. Could it be true? Yami's heart thumped underneath his ribcage, his eyes wide with fear. It couldn't be. Again, he had to be mistaken. It was probably just the sun, and with Yugi's purple eyes, the red hue must have been created. He had only seen it for a second, so surely Alraime couldn't be in the house with them.

A slight creak was heard of a door opening, and Yami's eyes snapped towards the source, the direction from which the sound came from. Holding his breath, he watched on silently as Yugi stepped out of his room in his PJ's and slowly walked down the dark hall and towards the stairs. He didn't know what came over him at that moment. Yami didn't call out to the boy as he moved like a ghost. Instead, Yami just watched, noticing the lost look that was in the purple orbs that were transfixed on the steps that led downstairs.

"Yugi?" Yami said softly as the boy walked past the square the couches made and gripped the banister to begin stepping down. Yami sat up straighter, his feet touching the ground when Yugi didn't reply. _"Perhaps he didn't hear me,"_ he thought, and frowning, the thoughts of Alraime in his mind, he got up silently and followed.

He gazed at Yugi's back as he stepped down the stairs after him, and still the boy showed no signs of responding, or any signs at all as to what he was doing so late during the night. Yugi's eyes were empty and very much wide as well, and Yami spent a short time steeling the image of possession away from the thoughts of Yugi. As much as he was denying it, why was he still scared?

"Yugi," Yami said again, this time a bit louder as the boy stepped down from the last step and began making his way to the kitchen.

Again, Yugi didn't stop and Yami found himself rushing over to the boy and grabbing his shoulders before he took a step into the kitchen. He needed some answers first. He had to make sure Yugi was okay. As he turned the boy around, Yami's eyes shot open and his body turned cold as he immediately noticed the pool of black that filled the young boy's eyes, only to have those same eyes harden suddenly and to see a scowl appear on Yugi's face. Under his hands he felt the body stiffening, and as if he was electrocuted, his hands pulled away from Yugi's shoulders. He blinked once to check if what he saw was real, only to realise that the anger on the boy was gone and replaced with confusion. Yugi was there, standing before him with purple, tired eyes, a yawn escaping his mouth and a hand going to it to pat it down. Shaking, words unable to leave his mouth at what he just witnessed, Yami jumped when Yugi spoke.

"Yami?" Yugi asked slowly, and he stepped forward. "What's going on?"

Yami in turn gathered whatever was left of his voice and spoke, not too sure himself as to what he just witnessed. See, Yugi was fine. He was his regular old self again. Perhaps he just needed to sleep. He was seeing things. That had to be it.

"What's wrong, Yugi? What were you doing down here?" and he mentally yelled at himself for still sounding so fearful. Carefully though he stayed still, gulping when Yugi leaned against his chest and wrapped his arms around him. Yugi shrugged, and he mumbled his response.

"I… don't know…" Yugi drawled softly, and he snuggled closer to Yami. A smile broke out on his face, and Yami found himself rubbing the boy's back to comfort him, and himself. This was Yugi.

"C'mon, you should get back to bed," he said with a small smile, and he took another deep breath as he felt his nerves reducing and the fear he had disappearing. He walked slowly, the boy still latched on to him as they returned back upstairs, and opening Yugi's bedroom door, he tucked him back into bed. After brushing the blond bangs away from his eyes and pulling the duvet over the boy's body, Yami then turned around and left, closing the door with a soft thud.

Stopping once the door closed, Yami let out a breath and leaned his head against the door, weariness slamming into him like a load of bricks. It felt as if a weight had been lifted, but at the same time added and increasing his worries. What was he going to do? Pushing his head away from the door, he sighed once again and turned around only to have his heart jump when he saw Bakura looking at him with a curious expression on his face, his arms crossed infront of him.

"What are you doing?" Bakura asked, and Yami ran his fingers through his hair.

"I was just taking Yugi back to bed. I saw him go downstairs so I…" Yami started to explain, only to see Bakura's face fall and roll his eyes, his interest diminishing.

"Whatever," Bakura said, and he turned around and began walking back to the room he was to share with Malik. "He's not a kid anymore, so why follow him?"

Yami walked behind Bakura, silent for a while. Should he tell Bakura of his worries?

"I don't know…" he began, and seeing Bakura cast him a look as he walked down the hall to his room, Yami continued. "I-I just thought he was acting, strange."

"Strange?"

Yami hummed in approval, not trusting his mouth to make words.

"What do you mean, strange?" Bakura pressed, and Yami's eyes dropped to the ground his face scrunching with anxiety. Should he tell? No, then that would mean he thinks Yugi is... possessed.

"Are you going to tell me?" Bakura snapped, his patience obviously wearing thin, and Yami looked directly at him. The other spirit rose and eyebrow at the distress on his face, and biting his lip, Yami's eyes fell back to the ground when the other's eyes widened.

"Is it Alraime?" he asked hurriedly, and at that Yami shrugged.

"I don't know. I just don't know what to think," and there was where his will to hold back what he knew broke. "Sometimes I see that he has some signs. I see red in his eyes for no more than a second, and then at times he just acts completely out of character! But, it never last and he goes back to his old self. I don't know, Bakura. Alraime, Yugi surely has nothing to do with him. Right?"

Bakura was silent, and Yami could see the spirit thinking hard, his eyes not leaving his face. After a moment he finally spoke, his voice controlled and quiet.

"I'm not sure either. But, we should watch him to see if the signs are there. If it is, then…" Bakura trailed off, but Yami knew exactly what that meant. They would have no choice but to inform Ra, Obelisk, and Osiris.

"Get some sleep. We'll deal with it in the morning," Bakura then said, and Yami nodded. He was about to turn around and leave when Bakura tapped him on the shoulder. Looking back at him, he saw Bakura giving him a cheeky grin. "You're still interested in sleeping on the couch? Seriously, bunk here. I'm sure Malik will _love_ the extra company."

"Uh, okay…" Yami said wearily, and after he stepped in did he understand the meaning behind the sarcastic comment. There on the bed, Malik was sprawled across it. The blanket was covering only one leg, and with two pillows under his head, Yami looked for the other two and found one on the floor, the other under Malik's other leg.

"I hope you like the floor," Bakura laughed, and Yami sweat-dropped.

* * *

"I'll look around at the office and see if any of my employees are acting strange, since you did stop at the office first," Seto explained from the head of the breakfast table the following morning, briefcase in his hand as he stood. Yami nodded, his eyes lingering on Mokuba who was making a bit of a fuss about eating the now mushy cereal that was before him. Yami watched as Yugi glanced at Kisara wearily before continuing to coax the picky child.

"Call us if you find anything," Malik said, leaning against the doorway of the kitchen, glancing over to Seto who looked at him as he spoke. Seto gave a curt nod, and gave Kisara a quick peck on the cheek before looking at Yami who smirked in return. Seto grinned slightly before leaving, and as Yami watched as he left, the smile eventually disappeared from his face when Bakura walked up to him.

"He seems fine," Bakura whispered, gesturing with his head over to Yugi who successfully gave Mokuba a spoonful of food with Kisara's help, and at that Yami nodded once.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I don't want to believe that he's…"

"We'll keep watching him. Just calm down," Bakura said, and he wandered off behind Yugi as he ran after Mokuba who had gotten down from his chair and began speeding off towards the backdoor.

"He only wants to play now," Kisara mumbled, and slowly she began piling the plates while one of the maids came and helped her to take them away. Watching the maid leave, Yami watched as she turned to them.

"Are you boy's going to try finding Alraime?" she asked quietly, and Malik stepped forward to respond before he or Bakura could get a word in.

"Yeah, of course! We can't sit around and do nothing. We spent a day doing just that already."

"We will," Bakura said. "We'll head out in a few minutes," and seeing the glance thrown his way, Yami followed Bakura who walked behind Yugi who had run after Mokuba, leaving a bewildered Malik behind who followed begrudgingly.

When they stepped out in the sunlight and stepped on to the fresh, green grass that made up most of the fairly large backyard, they saw Mokuba running up the small steps to the little playground, sliding down the slide and collapsing into the sandbox where he proceeded to throw sand in the air and then at Yugi who came near to him. Stepping forward, Yami smiled at seeing Yugi grab the boy and starting to tickle him endlessly.

"Ahh! No! Staahp!" Mokuba squealed, a big grin on his face, his cheeks reddening.

"Yugi," Kisara called as she came up to him, and Yugi slowed down, allowing the little boy to catch his breath. As soon as he did though, he took a handful of sand and dropped it into Yugi's lap. Yugi scowled playfully at him.

"Hey! Don't do that!" and he laughed, holding the pail that Mokuba gave him, all of them watching the boy as he filled sand into the bright blue plastic container.

"We should search for Alraime," Malik hissed beside him, and Bakura turned to shoot Malik a glare, but eventually looked at Yami with a gaze that confirmed that things seemed to be fine.

"Alright, fine," he hissed, and as Malik began conversing with Bakura, Yami glanced at Yugi who was now building mountains with the child, a bright smile on his face.

"That demon could be anywhere," Malik was saying as Yami zoned back in to their conversation, making it just in time to hear Bakura's suggestion on what they should do now.

"We should retrace out steps. Starting from that intersection that we landed in when we arrived first. Maybe we can see some traces of Alraime there. While Kaiba takes care of stuff near his office, we should scrounge around and hit all those other places we travelled through. And fast."

Yami nodded in agreement. "Alright then," and he turned to Kisara who was sitting at the base of the slide, watching humorously as the castle the boy's built toppled to the ground. Walking up to her, she looked up at him. "We're going to look around the area, see if we can find anything. We'll be back as soon as we're done," Yami explained, and watching as she pushed a strand of white, bluish hair behind her ears, he saw her give a nod.

"Alright," she said, confident. "Be careful though. If Alraime is as powerful as the beings upstairs believe, he won't hesitate to attack if he thinks you are trying to take him down." She paused before continuing lowly, her voice close to a whisper. "He's been waiting a long time for this moment, and he will stop at nothing to achieve it."

"Don't worry. We'll be okay," Yami assured, and giving a small smile to calm her worries, Yami looked back at Yugi who was looking at him with worry of his own, but shot Yami a small smile. He gave a wave and two thumps up even though Mokuba dropped more sand on his lap, and Yami chuckled, nodding before he turned around to follow Bakura and Malik who had started walking back to the house.

"Let's head to the intersection first!" Malik called, and together they all made the short trip there.

The intersection was busy as usual, especially since it was during the midday rush hour, everyone off to get lunch, perhaps. The three spirits when they arrived had stopped and stared at those that seemed to be taking their own time, looking comfortable with their surrounding areas, a sign that they were used to the place. It was all they had to go on. They needed some way to minimise the amount of people they needed to scrutinise instead of looking at every single person who was in the area and all the way back home. Unfortunately, in the end, they found themselves doing just that. It was tiring, but since no one could see them, they sat around shops and storefronts, malls and grocery stores just eyeing every single being that was being too loud, to quiet, and especially too angry.

"This is irritating," Malik mumbled as they met up with each other after they had split up to scour the intersection. "How are we supposed to find him?! It's like finding a needle in a haystack!"

"I even checked the roads that led down to K.C., but still no weirdness," Bakura muttered, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

"It's difficult, but we have to keep looking. Alraime can be anywhere, and finding him is a must," Yami explained, and he looked around as the cars zoomed by. "The more I think about it the more I think he must have already gotten a vessel."

"Well, that's why we're looking, aren't we?" Bakura said, and he suddenly looked up when a thought dawned on him. "Isn't there another place that we have to check?" he asked, and at that Yami nodded.

"My place."

"Then let's go!" Malik exclaimed, and he pushed them towards the direction of the grand house, and in mere seconds they were running off quickly, their ghostly forms flying through the buildings and oncoming traffic without any disruptions.

They slowed down once they arrived at the gates, and walking through them, Yami looked on as Bakura ran around the house once while Malik wandered in. Yami however stayed on the outside, watching the people on the street to see if anyone was acting strange. There wasn't a lot of people that lived on the secluded road, given the house's legacy, so by the time Bakura returned and Malik a short moment later, Yami did another scan through the place before they came to their conclusion.

"No spirit inside," Malik said.

"And no spirit anywhere around here," Bakura added, he too looking around just to make sure that everyone seemed fine.

Looking up, Yami took in the setting sun that was already casting its orange glow across the street, and disappointed he turned to Malik and Bakura that were looking just as frustrated as he.

"We should head back," Yami said quietly, and a grumble left Malik's lip while Bakura glanced back at him, shrugging.

"What else can we do then? We found nothing so we might as well," Bakura trailed off, his hands crossed and clasped around his upper arm.

"Fine," Malik said, and he began walking away, back to the direction of Seto's mansion. "First thing tomorrow we will come out and search. The longer we wait around, allowing Alraime to get stronger, the angrier I become." His hands clenched, and he looked up at them once more, his eyes hardening. "We have to stop him."

Watching the sandy colour haired spirit walk away, Yami found himself staring at him with confusion, following behind slowly while Bakura kept pace with him. Just as the other spirit was about to catch up with Malik, Yami stopped him.

"What's wrong with Malik?" and at that, Bakura turned to look at him. It was very evident from his features that he knew something. Yami continued, trying to wiggle the reason out of seemingly the only person Malik ever talked with. "I understand that we need to find and stop Alraime fast before he does anything, but…" Yami allowed his sentence to drift as he found the words. Bakura though still remained placid about the whole conversation, so Yami was forced to explain even more. "Why does it seem that Malik is- He's more- It's like he's trying to-"

"Protect someone," Bakura finished off quietly, and at that Yami looked up at him with surprised eyes.

"Yes!" Yami exclaimed. "I mean, he's been acting very, moody, about the whole situation and just now proved that something is bothering him. It's frustrating me, it's frustrating those at home, and I can see that his behaviour is also getting on your nerves. So, what's wrong with him? You know, don't you?"

Bakura nodded, and the two rushed forward to catch up with Malik, but by then the other had gone and the sun was setting even lower into the horizon, the sky darkening. As they walked quickly, Yami listened attentively to Bakura as he explained.

"There's this kid that's he looking out for, has been looking out for during the past few years. Quite back before we met you actually," he started, and at that Yami rose an eyebrow, but said nothing. "The kid is around, Yugi's age I believe, and he lives in the area so I guess that's why he's anxious. He was also hoping to meet the child once, but now that this problem cropped up, he's on edge."

"But who is this child? Why is Malik so attached to him?" Yami asked, and Bakura sighed.

"He had told me one time that the child reminded him of his brother, so now he's vowed to be the kid's, Guardian Angel," and Yami watched as Bakura chuckled.

"But why would the kid remind him of his brother? It's been so long, so surely his brother must have passed on already, right? He does go to see him, that's where both of you disappeared every so often to do, right?" and a frown appeared on his face when Bakura smiled sadly, shaking his head.

"I go to see mine. Malik, he's still searching for his brother. It's been such a huge gap between them, they days of their death, that it's become hard to find him. Possible, but hard. He would catch _senses_ of him every now and then, and that would satisfy him for a while. Other times, he would watch the child, protecting him from practically everything whenever he could."

"I wonder if Yugi knows this boy…" Yami whispered, and he looked up at Bakura as they neared the mansion, stepping past the gates and noticing the faint light coming through the windows which were layered with thick curtains. "What's his name?"

"Marik," Bakura answered, and Yami nodded.

"Marik…"

As they walked through the door, immediately they were met with a loud screaming that was coming out from the throat of the tiniest person in the room. Mokuba was standing at the base of the steps, a jug of milk in his small hands which were now empty because, from the looks of it, the boy was soaked with the white liquid instead. The two stilled at the doorway, Kisara rushing down the stairs with a worried expression while Yugi held the soaking wet boy and gently took the jug away from him.

"What happened?!" Kisara exclaimed, and just behind her was Seto, his tie still undone as he walked down the steps as well, staring with concern at Mokuba who was wailing loudly. From the looks of it he had just walked in, and Yami found himself stepping forward, noticing Malik who was seated on the couch, a look of irritation of his face as he blocked his ears.

"I just left him alone for a second to heat up the milk, and before I knew it he climbed up on the stool and took to jug," Yugi explained hurriedly, a guilty look on his features. "It must have still been open when he grabbed it, and it, spilled, all over him." and Yugi winced as the boy hiccupped and continued to cry, Kisara kneeling down to brush away his black hair that was pasted against his forehead.

"It's okay," Kisara said as she picked the boy up, his wet hair now sticking to Kisara's face. "You know how he is. When he sees something he just has to grab it…" and she sighed. "Don't worry, I'll clean him up. Can you clean up the mess in the kitchen, please? The maids won't be back until morning."

Yugi nodded, and they all watched as Kisara took the sobbing child away, the downstairs becoming a lot quieter. Yami watched as Seto sighed, and tiredly the brunet rubbed his eye and brushed his hair back before looking up where his eyes met Yami's. Seeing that they had arrived, Seto stepped down and walked up to them sitting on the armrest of the couch that Malik was on. Bakura and Yami stepped forward, a look of defeat making its way to their face.

"We didn't find any signs of him," Yami began, and he walked closer to Seto. "We tried, almost all day, but nothing."

"That's fine," Seto said. "I didn't find anything strange with the people at work either. Many were still idiots, and the others irritating, but none that showed that an evil being was anywhere around."

"So I guess we just wait until tomorrow morning to hunt for him?" Malik said, his voice low, and Yami nodded.

"We can't do more than that, and hope that we find him. If Alraime manages to get his strength back, it will be game over for us, and the world. The Gods are depending on us to find him," Yami said, and he sighed, looking up at Yugi who was standing by the kitchen, staring directly at them. At the focused and darkened look seen in the boy's eyes, instantly Yami's body turned cold and he stood up straighter. No words came to his mouth. He just looked at Yugi, turning towards Bakura after ripping his eyes away.

"We will find him. For now let's just turn in. It's been a long day for all of us and really, I need to sleep," Seto was saying, and when Bakura finally felt Yami's eyes staring at him and seeing the fearful expression, both of their heads turned to the kitchen only to already see Yugi walking up the stairs, his steps slow, not a single word leaving his mouth to show that he was fine.

As Malik went to his room without speaking to them at all, and Seto pecking Yami on the head before whispering _good night_ to both of them before turning in, only then did Bakura step closer to Yami, his voice hurried and low.

"Okay, something _**is**_ wrong with that boy, Yami," he hissed, and Yami found himself shaking his head.

"No…"

"Yes. Whether you want to hear it or not, and seeing that dark look in the boy's eyes for myself, something is _**very**_ wrong. We have to say something, because there is a chance that Alraime is using Yugi as his vessel already. There's a high chance that he followed us all the way here. We can't sit and pretend we don't see it. We have to warn them, just in case."

Bakura was staring hard at him, and when Yami said nothing, his heart hammering against his chest and making him want to tear it out with the way it was making him feeling, Yami sank down to the couch, his eyes not wanting to meet Bakura's. He still didn't want to believe it, but with the signs Yugi had shown, all that pointed to Alraime, what choice did he have? He would have to tell the others, and tell the Gods. And if Alraime is possessing Yugi, then surely he must know that they're looking for him.

Yami's heart shivered at the thought of being so close to the demon, but it tremored even more when he thought about what was happening to Yugi who was basically being toyed with by the demon. If Alraime is in Yugi, what will happen to him and how will they defeat Alraime? The cost that would come with destroying Alraime made him feel even sicker, and looking up at Bakura, his anguish could be seen because the cold spirit put a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll figure it out. Don't worry. If Alraime is truly in Yugi, we'll figure out a way to get the demon out and keep Yugi safe."

"How?" Yami croaked, and at that Bakura remained silent, unable to give an answer.

* * *

 **And there we have it! The end of the chapter. I do hope you like it and by now it should be obvious as to where Alraime is. xD I know that the next chapter will be haunting you, because, guess what! Alraime makes himself known. Anyways, thank you all so much for all you love and support, and thank you so much for reading this story. The interest in it gives me the strength to continue, and I will continue until the end.**

 **Please leave a little review, constructive criticism, or random words of kindness that lets me know you like what's happening now. Seriously, it is really appreciated. I will try my best to respond to all of you. Okay…**

 **Bye~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I can't be any happier! I didn't get a lot, but I'm pretty sure that's because most of you already reviewed for the previous chapter six. That's alright. Hope to see some love for this chapter! Things heat up! And, they get intense. Please don't hate me after this chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem Returns

Chapter 7

* * *

Even though the clouds above gathered thickly, their colour dark and threatening the city with rain, the five of them still continued to wander down the streets, each hoping to find Alraime before the third day was up. They were running out of time, and as each hour ticked away without any sign of the dark being, the more anxious they got. However, that wasn't the only issue that had them worrying endlessly.

Taking a look ahead of him, Yami eyed Yugi who was walking alone. Ever since they woke up this morning, Yugi had been acting strange. He was silent, and watchful. Brooding even, while his eyes and expression were locked on the thoughts in his head. He was like that while they talked, while they ate, and strangest of all for his character, he didn't react when Mokuba wanted to play in the short moment before they had to leave. The behaviour soon caught the attention of Seto and Kisara, and their concerns were evident as well. As for Malik, in mere moments he too was suspecting the same as them, and that, that had Yami feeling even worse about the entire situation. He was sick to him stomach with dread.

Coming back to reality, Yami could see that Yugi's eyes were still extremely focused on his surroundings, and Yami could practically see the way the boy's head was ticking away, reflecting that with his calculating eyes. Yami gulped and inhaled deeply, trying to calm his heart that was pounding away in his chest.

Bakura had attempted to return to heaven to tell the Gods of their suspicions, just like they had agreed upon the night before, only to return less than an hour later looking very perturbed. Apparently the Gods were busy preparing to defeat Alraime themselves, so they had no time to listen to Bakura. He waited, only to be offered the chance to continue waiting, for who knows how much longer, or leave. They had a feeling as to where Alraime was, so why was no one ready to listen to them?

"Yami, is Yugi alright?" Kisara whispered suddenly beside him, and Yami looked up to give the woman an unsure gaze, only to see her giving Yugi a worried look of her own. He turned away, his eyes lingering on Bakura who was speaking to Malik up ahead. What was he to say to her? That both he and Bakura suspected that the boy was possessed by Alraime? He couldn't do that to her, not after she's out, fighting her fear to help them search like she was right now.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine," Yami said, lying right through his teeth while giving Kisara a reassuring smile that really didn't look uplifting. Kisara though wasn't even looking at him. Her blue eyes remained on Yugi.

"I should speak to him," she said, and without waiting for him to change her mind, she walked faster to reach the boy, and Yami found his body going numb as he watched her get closer. His mind started screaming at him to get her away from him, while the other half of his mind argued as to why? Why get her away? It's Yugi! Yami however still found himself slowing down, his irises on Yugi.

"Yugi, Love, listen to me. Is something bothering you? Please, you're worrying me. What's wrong?" Kisara was saying, and her hand touched Yugi's shoulder. However, as soon as her hand made contact, Yami froze completely, his mind spinning and whirling with thoughts and questions that he had no answer to when Yugi turned around. There, plastered right on the boy's innocent face, was a wild smile, and very clearly, Yami took in the blazing red eyes.

"Yugi…" Kisara began, and Yami saw her eyes widen, a hand going to her mouth as the two of them stopped walking. With that same expression Yugi gazed at Kisara, crazily, his hips cocked to the side while an eyebrow raised amusedly, his head slightly tilted. And that was when Yami started to feel it, the darkness that started to radiate from the boy like waves.

From the corner of his eyes Yami could see that Bakura and Malik had paused, their faces curious as to why they stopped walking, but all of their eyes snapped towards Kisara as she let out a gasp, realising the truth of the boy's behaviour. On his face was a sinister scowl, and before anyone could react, Yugi's hand shot up and without saying a single word, a scream ripped out from Kisara's mouth as she was sent flying backwards. She was slammed into the wall of a building, and in seconds she fell to the floor on her stomach, hands splayed infront of her, twitching.

"Kisara!" Yami shouted, his head turning towards her, but quickly Bakura reached her side. However, as he attempted to pick her up, Yami watched as a scowl appeared on his face when his hands slipped right through her. Bakura looked up at Yugi and then at him, and Yami found himself turning away to stare at Yugi who was glaring at the crumpled Kisara on the floor.

" _Don't touch me,"_ he heard Yugi, Alraime, say lowly, quietly to himself, his hands clenched at his sides. Yami closed his eyes and reopened them, and as he continued to stare at him, he could feel his legs getting weak.

"That is not Yugi," Malik hissed in his ears, and feeling the other spirit beside him, Yami couldn't respond. The dark aura coming from Yugi only got stronger, bigger, overwhelming the narrow, abandoned street they had entered, hoping that Alraime was hiding there, and all Yami could do was stare at the boy before him.

"Yugi," he said, and taking a step forward he could feel the tears pricking him behind his eyelids. No, this wasn't happening. He didn't want this to happen. It wasn't true! Yugi was alright. He had to be.

"Yami, stop!" he heard Bakura shout behind him, but how could he stop? He had to save Yugi. If Alraime was possessing Yugi, he had to protect him. He had to snap him out of it, just like he did when they met again after so many years of being apart!

"Are you stupid?! Blind even?! Can't you see his eyes? It's not Yugi! That is Alraime, Yami! Don't go near him!" Bakura continued to shout, and Yami found himself shaking him head firmly, pushing the fear away when _**Yugi**_ turned to look at him as he approached.

"No, Yugi is in there. I have to get him back, Bakura," Yami said confidently, and steeling himself, he shouted, "Let Yugi go, Alraime! Leave him alone!"

Yami stilled though when Alraime smirked, and he took a step back when the being's lips twisted into an amused sneer. With one wave of his hand Alraime sent a crate flying towards Yami, but when Yami snapped his eyes shut and braced himself, he felt nothing. Opening his eyes he stared at the crate broken behind him, and turned to Alraime to shoot him a smirk of his own. He continued to advance, only to stop again, unnerved upon seeing that Alraime's eyes widened with utter fascination and glee, those pupil-less eyes looking at the three of them with, probably, the realisation that they were spirits as well. Slowly Yami could see the air around him become a black, vortex-like haze, and when Malik spoke, Alraime turned to him to see that he was being glared at with hatred.

"We have to tell the Gods!" Malik shouted, and he looked over to the two of them. "Now!" but before they could even think of making a move, Alraime's arm shot out once again. He made a fist, and hearing Malik gasp had them turning towards him to stare with horror. The tanned skin spirit was frozen, and Yami could see the way his body convulsed as Alraime seemingly gripped him tightly without even making contact. And in seconds, Alraime pulled his arm towards him, forcing Malik to stand before him due to that motion. Infront of him now, Yami watched as Alraime's other hand raised up, and without saying a word, he wagged his finger at Malik. He was basically telling Malik not to tell.

Malik was gasping, his teeth grinding together as Alraime's fists tightened even further, and with their eyes wide with shock, they looked on as Alraime's red eyes intensified, and his own mouth opened. It seemed as if they all forgot how to move and speak as Alraime started to, from the looks of it, consume Malik's very soul. Malik's body turned into a bright mist and went down Alraime's throat, his mouth that had contorted into a snake-like jaw, and to make it even worse, since Malik was a spirit, a soul, he started to disappear. In mere seconds they watched Malik completely vanished. They stood there, shocked, only to stare in horror as Alraime brought the soul back out of him in the form of a black, crackling mist, and Yami gulped deeply to see the form the black shroud took. It was Malik, or what was left of him, in a larger demon-like form, one that was created out of that sinister smoke with burning red eyes as well.

"Attack them," Alraime ordered the molded spirit, and he raised a finger and pointed it at all of them. Like an obedient warrior, Malik's clawed hands clenched, and Yami gulped when the spirit focused its gaze on him. The demon started to approach slowly, only to speed up quickly, his legs moving like a stumbling creature that had forgotten the way to walk. Yami found himself rooted to the spot as Malik drew close, and he wouldn't have known how to react until Bakura's voice snapped him out of the stunned trance.

"Hey! Malik! Over here!" Bakura shouted, and a fist-sized rock was thrown at the apparition. In a flash the Demon turned its attention towards Bakura, and when it did Yami found himself staring at Bakura, standing a short distance away from Kisara who was now on her feet, looking very dazed and in a lot of pain. She was breathing heavily, but Bakura stood there like a barrier. Bakura had his hands clenched as the demon form of Malik turned towards him, and he took a step back as the demon changed directions.

"Bakura, run!" Yami found himself screaming in a panic as Malik took off, and immediately Bakura turned around and ran, grabbing Kisara's arm as he did so and dragged her behind him, the girl trying desperately to keep up as they went back down the street they had just come from.

"I'll distract him! You run, Yami! Go tell the Gods!" Bakura yelled, turning back to glance at him with the demon right behind them, and Yami found himself nodding furiously.

Alraime however, as Yami glanced over, was staring directly at him, and Yami could already predict the hand rising to stop him. That was what he couldn't allow to happen, so without thinking too much the door to heaven was created before him using his willpower, and in seconds it was closed as soon as he turned around and dashed forward, slamming the white door shut. As soon as he did, he felt the door vibrate and a loud crash against it before all was quiet, a sign that he was no longer on earth where Alraime's fires could not attack him.

Shaking, his hands trembling as he let go of the door, he took two steps back and just stared with a lump in his chest at the door that led down to a world that was in the middle of being destroyed. And by who? None other than the body of his little Yugi, trapped by the darkest spirit mankind couldn't have even predicted. Struggling he took a deep breath and let it out, fighting back the tears that sprung to his eyes, before turning around and dashing out the other door, his feet taking him straight through the garden and towards the castle. Brushing off the guards who stood out front, he dodged them and entered without any warning to reach three backs, the owners of which were deep into their own conversation, speaking in a dialect that was known only to them. He didn't pause. After what he had just witnessed, manners would have to wait.

"We found Alraime!" Yami shouted loudly, and immediately the voices stopped, the heads seconds later turning around to face him, each looking surprised.

"Yami?" Osiris began, but clenching his eyes shut Yami continued.

"He's been possessing Yugi this whole time! And now, now he's out there wrecking the city. He's even turned Malik into this, this Demon, and somehow Bakura's stalling him. You have to do something, now!" Yami ranted, and the entire time he could hear his voice breaking, and he could feel the hot wetness that travelled down his face.

What had he done? He had suspected that something was up with Yugi ever since they were given the task to find Alraime. And now, because of his mind that didn't want to believe or think seriously about it, Alraime got stronger and was now causing havoc. It was his fault it got so bad, and even as he stood there, he didn't want to believe it. He just wanted his Yugi back, safe and sound just like he had left him all those years ago. And frankly, he should have left him like that. He shouldn't have returned because Alraime was doing this, again, because of him. All because of him.

"Yami? Yami, listen to me! Yami!" Osiris was yelling, and it wasn't until the being put a hand on his shoulder did he snap out of his thoughts to look up into his concerned expression.

"Just calm down," Osiris said softly, and he nodded reassuringly. "We'll take care of this."

"And just how are we supposed to do that?!" Obelisk shouted, the next one to speak, and he stepped forward. "By the sounds of it Alraime has gotten stronger. Now he's seemingly able to create his own warriors to defend himself, something he certainly didn't have the last time."

"That is what Alraime does to strengthen himself. The more souls he eats, the stronger he gets, and the strongest the darkness around him grows. And with his new ability, a good thing is that he's most likely weak, using his strength to create these other creatures," Ra explained, stepping forward as well, and Yami found himself murmuring to himself.

"He's sucking their souls out of their body," Yami whispered, and at that Ra nodded.

"Where is he now?"

"He's in Domino, and I left him chasing Bakura and Kisara," Yami said, and his heart felt heavy as he thought of them. Were they okay? "What are you going to do?"

"Well, first things first. We have to shut the doors," Obelisk said seriously. "Alraime, once he's collected all of the souls down on earth, he will come knocking here. That we can't allow to happen."

"Yami, I think you should stay here now. Leave it to us to take care of Alraime now, alright?" Osiris said, and Yami found himself looking up at him.

"Will Yugi be okay?" he said quietly, and he could feel the tears once more as he saw Osiris's face. "Will he be alright?" and he could see that the other two had already left, talking between themselves as they did so with utmost seriousness.

"We will try our best," Osiris said one last time, and as Yami's head turned back to him, he too started to follow them "Stay here and go see your family. They've been worried about you," he said, but biting his lip, Yami turned around and walked through the door, ignoring the guards and just plopping down on the little steps to drown in the worried thoughts.

Just what was he going to do? How can he help to fix the mess he had caused everyone!? Osiris, Obelisk and Ra seemed to know how to handle Alraime, but to him they were acting way too slow. Alraime was causing destruction without batting too much of an eye, and after days of preparing they still weren't done! How were they going to stop him? Perhaps, he should just go and see him family. Be with them and get some comfort, whatever was left that he could have after receiving a deadly yelling from his parents about what he had done. He could live with that, but no.

He can't.

Standing with determination, Yami wiped away his tears and headed straight for the door that would lead him right back to earth. How was that fair? How could he be with his family while his friends and all his loved ones fought hard to stay alive, out of Alraime's path as much as they could? And because of him none-the-less. He had to go help them. He had to go help Bakura, and try to keep Alraime at bay as much as he could. And while he's at it, he'll save Yugi too.

He had to set everything right, no matter what.

* * *

 **So there we have it! Another update to this story! Thank you all so much for reading, and I do hope to see a lot of wonderful reviews for this chapter. Thank you once again, and do please review. Your words always gives me that extra boost of courage to get me to continue writing. They mean so much.**

 **Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter, and stay tuned for the next one. I will try to update as fast as I can.**

 **Bye~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone~ Really, I am very sorry for the severely long wait. I am going to try harder to keep updating more consistently in a timely fashion. Until then, I thank you from the bottom of my heart to reading, reviewing, and supporting this sequel. I hope to see your support until the end. :)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The Ghost of Yami Atem Returns

Chapter 8

* * *

As Yami stepped, more like stumbled, out of the eternal doorway, he let out a sharp gasp as he looked up to take in the scene that he was met with. Immediately he could tell that something was wrong. Leaving the state of Domino City as it was when he left, he had expected to see nothing more than chaos and destruction at every turn, people running in all directions to protect themselves from the creatures that ran amok. That was not the case.

He was met with utter silence as he stared into the same narrow walkway that he, Bakura, Malik, Kisara, and Yugi had been walking on before the changes started. It was still destroyed, crates and brick walls shattered and holes large enough to fit a person seven feet tall, but that was it. There was no one around, and as he listened closely, the silence put him on edge. There wasn't even the sound of cars honking, nor the snaps of running footsteps on the pavement.

Gulping nervously, feeling his hands growing cold and damp, Yami rubbed them together unconsciously as he took in the major change that he saw once he looked up at the sky. The sky was no longer grey. It was dark, a perfect picture of nighttime, but that couldn't be. It was only the afternoon! There were still hours left for sundown, but already it seemed as if the night had approached. More like the darkness in fact.

Deciding not to wait around, Yami made a dash towards the path he remembered Bakura running off in with Kisara, Malik right on their tail. As he ran, he clenched his teeth and hardened his heart as he saw black, burnt marks on the walls and floors, damaged buildings and cars that were still burning on the sides, completely totalled. It took him all of his strength not to look at the destruction. The last thing he wanted to see was a body laying within the rubble, especially if it might be the body of one of his friend's or family's.

The more he ran, Yami eventually found himself at the edge of a road and it was there when the silence broke and sirens pierced the air. He stopped and stared, eyes wide as a cop car came blaring down the road, only for a loud bang to reach his ears, and hiding as the car was thrown into the ground by a black mist of unaltered magic. Shaking, hearing the screams, he dared himself to peak out and look at what had happened, only to lose his breath at the sight once more.

More demons, created from humans, were wandering down the street. People were trying their hardest to escape them, only to be blocked, knocked to the ground and then picked up and gripped tight by their shoulders as their light coloured soul was sucked out of their body. As he watched on with horror though, Yami was able to see where the souls were going. His hands that were covering his ears dropped to his sides from shock. The souls were traveling through little, misty tubes at the demon's feet which was connected to a dark cloud that gathering darkly into an enormous ball. A hand went to his mouth as he finally took notice of another being walking down the road, and he had to smash his heart back into place to forbid himself from running over and grabbing the little boy. He had to remind himself that it was not Yugi who he was seeing, it was Alraime, and the wicked smile on his pure Yugi's face was proof of that. It seemed that the souls were being sent directly to Alraime, so that would mean he was being powered by these souls! All he had to focus on now was saving him, and he needed Bakura and the other's help.

Turning around and fleeing back down the same walkway, he used the little shortcut he had picked up from their searches to reach the Kaiba mansion as soon as he could. If he wanted to find them, that was the first and best guess as to where they could be. As he ran, Yami silently hoped that they were all okay.

As he exited the final alley and turned on to the road, his heart dropped down to his gut once more with utter dread as he stared at the scene before him. Houses, the very fine looking houses, were all burnt and destroyed. Car alarms to the fancy and expensive vehicles were ringing off the hook, and at seeing this, Yami didn't stick around to stare. On the verge of hyperventilating from worry he ran off down towards the direction of Seto's home, and when he got there, his legs almost gave away. Right where the big, dark wooden doors should have been was now just a large, gaping hole. Yami walked up to it and entered fearfully, unsure of what he was going to find. He was shaking beyond control, but he found the will to push through as hope and belief continued to run through his system.

Taking the very first steps in, stepping over the charred wood that was now left of the door, Yami's breath hitched as he stared at the hollow bodies of the servants that worked in the house. They were slumped over in the large entrance way, the cook on the floor in the kitchen, his spoon just a short distance away. It was clear. The attack was a surprise, so Malik, demon Malik, had followed Bakura and Kisara all the way back home. Looking around, trembling with hesitation, he called out their names and prayed for a response.

"Bakura?" he called, and he took a quick, deep breath as he heard his voice cracking. He tried again, this time with more confidence. "Seto?!"

He waited for a few moments, hoping that they would show themselves. However, when no one appeared and the crashes around the estate got louder, Yami had no choice but to start taking a few steps back. He couldn't stay in one spot forever. He would risk getting captured himself, especially if Seto and the other's weren't at the mansion to begin with. So, where were they? None of their bodies were seen, so they had to be hiding somewhere. Yami thinks, the gears in his mind starting to turn. Where? Where else would they go? And then, it dawned.

"Of course. My house!" he hissed, and a triumphant smile appeared on his face. That was the only other place they could have gone for safety since it was quite far from this area. Knowing his brother, Seto would have thought the same.

Taking off, running even faster and just zipping through the buildings, it didn't take him too long to get to the mansion. And, he had been correct. They were so far from the middle of the city that the demons hadn't quite got there yet. With the hope growing stronger, he ran up to the door and pushed it open excitedly when he saw that it was unlocked. Someone was definitely here.

"Seto? Bakura?!" Yami called, and he gazed up the grand staircase and scanned the kitchen and living room, only to suddenly cry out from surprise when someone yanked his arm, pulling him up the stairs. He fought between anger and joy when he saw the familiar white locks of hair, and he went with the latter.

"Bakura?!" he exclaimed, and the russet coloured eyes turned to him. "Are you okay?" and Bakura ushered him down the left hallway once they reached the top. As he gazed at the other spirit, he could very clearly see the weariness, along with some bruises Bakura's soul had taken. That would have only happened if Bakura was forcing himself to touch, an ability that takes a lot of energy for a spirit. So what had happened? Did something happen with Kisara?! His head started to spin when Bakura continued to stay quiet.

"Bakura, what happened? Where is everyone?" Yami asked impatiently, growing frustrated and even more scared by the second, and he barely noticed it when Bakura shoved him on to the roof and pulled him downwards so he was ducking. Relief flooded him when he saw Seto, Kisara, and Mokuba, huddled together with exhaustion at the far end of the wall.

"Seto?" Yami whispered as he neared, and he watched as his brother's eyes shot open upon hearing him. The blue eyes were filled with emotion as he saw him, and Yami physicalized himself as Seto reached forward to brush his hair.

"Yami, you're okay!" Seto said happily, and he hugged Yami tightly before letting go.

"Yes, I'm alright. I'm just so glad that you're all okay," and he accepted the hug Kisara gave him while she held Mokuba from joy herself at seeing him before them. Yami though eventually turned his focus towards Bakura who was breathing heavily, back leaned against the wall and legs bent before him, trying hard to catch his breath. The russet irises finally turned to him.

"Did you meet them? Did they tell you how they're going to fix this?" Bakura hurriedly asked, and Yami nodded. The spirit was eager to know, and wasn't at all bothered enough to answer his earlier questions about his injuries.

"Yes," Yami stated simply, and his eyes dropped down to his hands. "They didn't tell me much though. They just started to prepare, assuring me that they were going to deal with it now."

"That's all? How does that assure anyone?!" Kaiba grumbled, and Yami sighed before explaining.

"For now they plan on closing the doors to the afterlife until they can stop Alraime. Knowing Alraime, he will try to break into heaven and consume the souls there to get even stronger."

"We can't let that happen," Bakura muttered, and Yami nodded in agreement.

"We're stuck waiting…" he trailed off, and his eyes went back to Bakura with concern. A lot had happened in the short time he was away, so it was time to get an understanding of just what had transpired.

"What happened to you guys, to the mansion? I went there when I returned and saw it almost ruined."

Kisara spoke up to explain. Shifting Mokuba on to her other leg, she gazed at him with frustration in her eyes.

"Well, Bakura and I rushed home as fast as we could while the demon Malik chased us. He just wouldn't stop. However, we noticed one thing. He couldn't grab us from a distance like Alraime can. As soon as he has contact with the person though, they were done for. They were practically-"

"I know," Yami said, cutting her off. "I saw. The demons are sucking the soul out of the person, leaving behind a demon while the soul went straight to Alraime. I noticed that the soul is travelling through tubes that surely connects back to Alraime since the souls go through it."

"It was a miracle we even got away," Kaiba then said, and Yami turned to look at him as he spoke. "I was stunned when these two ran in looking as if they've been hit by a storm, and when they told me that Alraime was possessing Yugi," he sighed, "I couldn't believe it. But, just as they finished telling me what happened, that demon version of Malik blasted the front door, leaving that large gap that you must have saw. We barely escaped through the back door and drove here. It was the only place I could think of to get away from the commotion and thankfully we lost Malik in the process."

"It wasn't that easy though," Kisara whispered. "If it wasn't for Bakura staying back and stalling Malik, it would have been impossible to lose him."

"Really? Is that why you're so injured?" Yami gasped, and he looked back at Bakura who was gazing down at the street, his body stiff.

"Don't worry about it. I dealt with it, hadn't I?" he said, anger in his voice, and he sat back down, still on edge.

"What is it?" Yami asked. Bakura's behaviour wasn't calming him down at all. They had lost the demon, but it was hard to know for how long since they seemed to be hundreds of them, all multiplying like crazy. "Do you sense one of them?" he murmured, but Bakura was silent, checking over the ledge again to peer down to the street.

"What are we supposed to do know?" Kisara asked, and Mokuba's cooing was the only sound heard between them. "Alraime is getting stronger by the second."

"We have no choice but to stay put for now. There's no way we can take Alraime on by ourselves," Yami explained, and he looked at them with determination as he continued. "One thing is for sure though. We need to rescue Yugi from him somehow."

"But how?" Kaiba asked, exasperated, his hands on his knees that were bent as he leaned against the wall, and Yami was silent before coming up with an answer.

"We'll have to lure Alraime out somehow."

"Yes, but how?" Bakura asked, his voice seeping with frustration, and as Yami sighed, scooting to sit in the space between Kaiba and Bakura, a big blast coming from the other end of the balcony caught all of their attention.

Looking up, all eyes went wide as they saw a large, gaping hole before them. Part of the floor and the entire wall was completely destroyed, and the cause of it stood menacingly before them. Standing in the ruins was Malik, glaring at them with his flaming red eyes.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! I would love to see some reviews, and I will try to update quicker than two months! xD. I hope you liked this chapter, and I can't wait for you to see the next, and the next, and the next because frankly, this story should be coming to a close.**

 **Thanks once again. Until next time…**

 **Bye~**


End file.
